Journal de psychologie et psychothérapie
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Failure at School Can Mask Child Sexual Abuse

Pilios-Dimitris Stavrou

The present study focuses on the link between failure at school and sexual abuse. More specifically, we studied the case of a young girl whose teacher was concerned about her mental abilities and her behavior at school. The young age, 5 years old, of the girl lead us to use a drawing projective test, the Davido-CHaD. The Davido-CHaD consists of 4 drawings: the free drawing, the childhood drawing, the drawing of the hands and the drawing of the hand that bothers. This test was very relevant and showed us that this little girl was sexually abused. Child sexual abuse has very important and persistent effects on its victims. It distorts the victim's worldview emotionally and cognitively. In such contexts as Dolto mentioned "the faculties of symbolization of the subject are frozen, blocked…”. Cognitive development is largely the result of the encounter of the subject's body movements, his/her psychic and emotional movements and his/her environment. Results of the drawings are discussed.