The links I’ve provided in
this post may help to shed extra light on this topic (the link between infidelity and CSA).
Everything boils down to the fact that CSA (and other types of severe child abuse) changes the
core of a person… A survivor of child abuse have a dysfunctional & weak foundation from the VERY beginning and it also persist into adulthood if proper help, support, guidance and counseling aren’t received by the child early on...and sadly most children who are sexually abused, stay quite about it until many years later...sometimes for up to 40 – 50 years before they finally reach out for help (in my case it was 25 years). IMO untreated CSA issues can lead to emotional vulnerability in adults and therefore play a role in infidelity as well.
All the material I have read regarding CSA so far says across the board that abuse victims are more likely to have relationship problems, sexual dysfunction, low self esteem, trust issues and so on and this is especially true for CSA survivors. All of those problems are key factors in infidelity. Plus the cited study of CSA leading to depression and other psychiatric disorders.
For example, according to
this article and the research done, women who were sexually or physically abused as children may have alterations in their brain chemistry that make them prone to depression and anxiety. In a study, the increased hormonal responses to stress may explain why women who were abused as children are at high risk of major depression and anxiety disorders. (This is the main reason I personally suffer from OCD, depression & anxiety and use chronic medication for these disorders).
The above article says that future research will clearly confirm that abuse at an early age not only causes emotional symptoms as an adult, but most of the physical health problems they suffer with.
If all factors is taking into account, it's clear that there is a connection between low self-esteem and infidelity; between depression and infidelity; between relationship problems and infidelity etc. From what I’ve read so far there is definitely a connection between low self-esteem and infidelity - and low self-esteem is one of the things survivors of CSA usually struggle the most with for various reasons.
Here is a link to a thread about OCD, Depression and Affairs. In this thread I’ve shared how the OCD and depression personally impacted my infidelity and recovery afterwards. Since CSA is one of the components which led to my mental disorders; self-esteem issues etc., I thought it was important to share the above thread as well. It might help to give someone more insight into this complex issue.
And lastly,
this post will give some insight on what was personally the most helpful to me to help overcome and get pass the sexual (and other abuse) I endured as a child.
