The sexual abuse of children is more prevalent in our society than previously recognized. Pediatric nurses, in a variety of clinical settings, are encountering an increased number of cases of child sexual abuse. The theory of learned helplessness offers a framework from which to view the dynamics of child sexual abuse. Child victims experience feelings of helplessness. The child learns early on in the relationship that he or she is incapable of avoiding the sexual advances of the offender. There is always an unequal relationship between a child and adult, which is exploited during sexual abuse. In 'order to provide appropriate nursing intervention to alleviate the emotional trauma experienced by the child, it is important to understand the underlying dynamics of the relationship and the resultant learned helplessness experienced by the child.An overview of child sexual abuse literature will be presented followed by a discussion of the development of the reformulated learned helplessness theory. Implications of the application of this theory to child victims will be presented, including a discussion of nursing interventions which utilize age-appropriate media.