Introduction: Sexual abuse is considered a major global problem and a taboo subject. In Europe, 18 million children are sexually abused every year. The perpetrators are, for the most part, relatives or close family members of the victim. Recognising sexual abuse is difficult and the consequences are severe and long-lasting. Purpose: We want to present child sexual abuse, the impact of sexual abuse on mental health, its consequences, the role of the nurse and forms of support for victims. Methods: A descriptive method was used, with a review of the professional and scientific literature. The search was conducted through the DiKUL portal in Medline, ScienceDirect, CINAHL, Wiley Online Library and Cochrane Library, between December 2020 and October 2021. We also used the AND and OR operator to identify literature: child sexual abuse and mental health, care and treatment of sexual abuse, perpetrators and sexual abuse, short- or long-term consequences of child sexual abuse. Results: Our literature review found that the consequences of sexual abuse are divided into psychological, physical, psychosomatic, behavioural and long-term. We have shown how victims of sexual abuse are treated in healthcare settings and how victims are helped by different organisations and programmes. The most effective help after sexual abuse is a trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy. Discussion and conclusion: The results showed three most common consequences of sexual abuse, namely risky lifestyle (drug and alcohol use and risky sex), post-traumatic stress disorder and psychological distress (depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, suicidal thoughts). Cognitive decline (memory, attention and language) has also been shown to be caused by epigenetic changes in the brain. There were also visible consequences in adulthood, namely in relationships (partner, family), in the gynecological field, physical health-chronic pain, and in parenting and perinatal period. There have also been problems in the healthcare due to a lack of knowledge in this area. Victims stressed the importance of directly asking about abuse. In the future, more attention should be paid to education on sexual abuse, both for health professionals and the general public.
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