Unwanted sexual exposure encompasses a range of behavior or situations where a person is confronted with sexual advances, imagery or even acts, that don’t rise to the level of assault.
Think of things like someone sending you dick pics unasked, or exposing themselves to you. Being hit on during a business meeting. Going to file a police report, or arrange something at a government office, and being leered at, or even offered extra help if you’d be willing to engage in sexual activity.
Even simple things like getting catcalled by complete strangers, especially if you have already experienced sexual abuse, can be traumatic. Being told the way you dress is “asking for it”, or being made to feel ashamed because what you’re wearing is tantalizing to others.
This article will be updated with further research and sources soon.
Sources
DEVELOPING THE COVERT TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE SCALE (COTES): A RETROSPECTIVE EARLY PSYCHOSOCIAL TRAUMA ASSESSMENT TOOL
Tiffany E. Vastardis PhD, LMHC, CCTP, CMHIMP
Clinical Education Specialist • Florida Residential Clinical Training Liaison • Mental Health Researcher • Licensed Psychotherapist • Clinical Trauma Specialist • Integrative Medicine Practitioner
Unwanted Early Sexual Exposure
Though the primary focus of literature on the effects of unwanted early sexual
exposure pertains to that of which is perpetrated at the peer-level, it cannot be assumed
that the phenomenon is solely limited to such instances. For example, a limited body of
international research broaches the topic. A Turkish study examined the effects of adultperpetrated sexual harassment amongst a sample of adolescent girls. Results indicated
that the girls felt powerless in the face of such verbal assaults, and few reported incidents
to caretakers or authority figures. The participants reported, that in efforts to avoid repeat
situations, they were forced to restrict their own activities and expressed that the
experience felt abnormal. These findings evidence internalization on behalf of the
victims, and a lack of accountability on behalf of the offenders (Işik & Kulakaç, 2015).
A growing body of research is assessing the impact of early exposure to sexual
materials on child development. The vast majority of this resource base is investigating
the effects of exposure to sexual materials, such as internet pornography, likely due to the
ease of access afforded via technology. Mitchell, Wolak, and Finkelhor (2007) reported
that unwanted exposure to pornography was on the rise across ethnicities and age
brackets; however, the impact of such experiences was unexplored, so too was the
prevalence of other forms of unwanted sexual exposure, such as witnessing sexual acts
within the household. Though it was not determined whether exposure to sexual
materials, such as pornography was desired, one study determined that pornographic
exposure across the lifespan differentially influences the actions of sexual offenders, with
some reporting that exposure immediately preceding sexual assaults increased levels of
violence, and others reporting that exposure reduced the rate of physical injury to their
victims as a result of providing a means by which to release tension (Mancini,
Reckdenwald, & Beauregard, 2012). Finally, a meta-analysis investigating the effects of
adolescents’ exposure to child pornography suggests that coming across such materials
can lead the viewer to sexually-objectify the victim, rather than recognizing the victims
as exploited individuals who are deserving of empathy (Gillespie, 2008). It can be
assumed that such experiences could prove detrimental to the course of exposed
adolescents’ sexual development.
