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Problematic Sexual Behaviors of Childhood.

Roughly 1 in 4 girls and 1 and 13 boys are said to experience sexual abuse during the course of childhood (CDC, 2020). As such, many children are more vulnerable to mental health problems including Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Subsequent to a child’s sexual abuse, they might have difficulties regulating their emotions, experience confusion, and exhibit Problematic Sexual Behaviors (PSB) towards others (peers, siblings, adults). PSB is conceptualized as an “acting out” response, that serves as an expression of the child’s identified sexual abuse history. Examples of PSB include sexualized play, insertion of objects into the body, ongoing or public masturbation, developmentally inappropriate knowledge of sexual behaviors, and provocative sexualized behaviors for a child’s developmental stage.​

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