Eighty-four sexually abused children and their families, were compared with controls to look at short-term effects of sexual abuse. The abuse group had more marital breakdown, unemployment, communication problems within the family and poor marital mental health. The abused children had more depression, low self-esteem and behaviour disorder. There was no relationship between intrafamilial abuse and depression, self-esteem or behaviour disorder. More severe abuse was related to low self-esteem and children's negative perceptions of their mothers. In planning treatment the child's relationship to the perpetrator may need less emphasis, with more on self-esteem, depression, family functioning and the child's perceptions of the family.