Children with intellectual disabilities are not only more likely to be victims of sexual abuse but are also more susceptible to its harmful effects.
According to a new study, these children are 3.5 times more likely to have a substantiated report of sexual abuse than their peers without intellectual disabilities. They also require a higher number of medical consultations with specialists for physical and mental health disorders following the abuse.
"We already knew that children with intellectual disabilities are overrepresented among children who have been sexually abused, but until now we didn't have any longitudinal data," said Isabelle Daigneault, the study's principal investigator and a professor in the Department of Psychology at Université de Montréal.
Her study broke new ground by crossing 17 years of medical data from Quebec's public health insurance agency, the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec, and the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services with 10 years of information from Quebec's youth protection agency, the Direction de la protection de la jeunesse, while controlling for socioeconomic factors.
More vulnerable to abuse
Daigneault believes that children with intellectual disabilities are more at risk of sexual abuse for a number of reasons.
First, they are more likely to be placed in the care of people outside the family at a younger age. "The absence of the child's guardian is a risk factor, since people inclined to abuse a child will take advantage of this vulnerable situation," she explained.
Furthermore, children with intellectual disabilities may have more difficulty expressing themselves, seeking help and understanding when a situation is inappropriate. Sexual abuse is not always violent; it can involve more insidious forms of abuse such as blackmail and manipulation.
"This makes it less likely the child will promptly report the situation," noted Daigneault. "It may be that the more severe after-effects are due to the abuse lasting longer."
Educating children and parents is key
Daigneault noted that very few resources have been developed to address this problem. She believes our top priority must be supporting the healthy development of all children, including those with intellectual disabilities, to ensure they become adults and parents who do not themselves abuse children.
We also have to equip children to seek help if they experience abuse. Children need to learn how to identify high-risk situations, recognize their needs and assert their boundaries. One solution is sex education for young people that tackles sexual violence head-on.
"But we also need sex education adapted to the needs of children with intellectual disabilities," said Daigneault. "Some of these children aren't receiving any at all right now because such programs don't exist."
Daigneault also pointed to the lack of effective interventions to deal with the aftermath of sexual abuse and prevent its recurrence in these particularly vulnerable children.
She suggests creating prevention programs aimed at parents to better inform them about the risk of sexual abuse and the need to remain vigilant. Also needed are programs for young victims that target the factors associated with revictimization.
