The impact of child sexual violence on the neurobiological field: a literature review

Sexual violence during childhood and adolescence can impact on neurobiological development, since in this period the maturation of the brain occurs. This research aims to relate trumas as a result of abuse, and examines the lasting neurobiological and behavioral consequences. Methods: Articles were researched in journals specialized in the area on Scielo, Pubmed, LLACs and Medline platforms, using publications between 2010 to 2020. The descriptors used were “sexual violence”, “cellular neurobiology” and “child abuse”. The articles were selected through the descriptors, publication period, portuguese or english works, number of citations and relevance of the work. Results: The research prove that sexual violence in childhood has several consequences for neurobiological development. Cognitive aspects are damaged resulting in negative impact on intellgence, attention, sensory motor functioning, language, memory and, among others, as well as psychiatric symptoms, decrease sense of coherence and increased cortizol concentrations. Neuroimaging studies also show structural changes that can affect various areas of the brain such as the cortex and reduce myelination. Conclusion: All tipes of violence or trauma has consequences, mainly when they are sexual, since brain areas such as the hippocampus, corpus callosum, prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex suffer evident changes detected by neuroimaging, having far reaching negative effects to the growth and development of these children.