Encopresis and Sexual Abuse

Encopresis is the act of relieving oneself of fecal matter in an inappropriate place. This act can be caused by physical issues involving the bowels and colon, but can also be a matter that is caused by sexual abuse.

Children who have been sexually abused may soil themselves without really thinking about it, but there are actually some logical reasons for it. These reasons are important for adults to learn so that they themselves do not perpetuate the act inadvertently.

Control and Soiled Pants

Young children have very little control over their lives. They can actively make decisions about their own behavior, but they cannot control what other people do to them. They are smaller and weaker than adults and have virtually no way to defend themselves. Therefore,other than telling someone, the only possible solution for them to do when they are being sexually abused is to make themselves undesirable. This primitive behavior is often exhibited through encopresis, or the child soiling his or her pants.

The idea is simple enough. The child makes themselves unattractive by defecating in their pants. The smell, the existence of feces, the very act if viewed as disgusting. In a child's subconscious mind, limited of resources, it is the perfect solution to the problem of being sexually abused. It gives them some amount of control over a situation, which is exactly what a perpetrator takes from them, along with a lot of other things.

Defecating as Affirmation

There are a lot of negative feelings that go along with being sexually abused as well as the act of encopresis. While the child may be using his or her bodily waste as a means to protect themselves, they are also reaffirming to themselves that feeling of guilt and disgust that is brought on by the sexual abuse.

Adults can do their best to avoid perpetuating the situation by talking to the child, assuring them that they are safe and complimenting any progress they have made. It's important for the child to be helped out of this cycle of a diminishing self esteem. There are too many scary feelings that are painful to the child already. They need to be helped out of this cycle and that can only be done when they feel safe and secure. Adults should avoid any expressions of disgust or distaste that will only make the child feel worse and doubt his or her own self worth.

Reference: http://encopresis.org/