4 research outputs found
What happens after children tell? a qualitative analysis of narratives of women who as children disclosed intra-familial sexual abuse
Contrary to depictions of strangers and perverts lurking in the
shadows, most children are sexually abused by “normal” people known to
them, often in their own families. The majority of child sexual abuse, especially
when it occurs within families, is neither disclosed nor reported. It has been
argued that disclosure is a necessary prerequisite for protecting children and
ending abuse, as well as for child welfare, criminal, therapeutic, and other
individual and societal interventions. Although it opens the door for
intervention, disclosure is also a potential source of further trauma and
revictimization, depending on the responses to the disclosures.
There is a great deal of research addressing the prevention, prevalence
and incidence, antecedents, etiology, impact, disclosure, and treatment of child
sexual abuse. However, what appears to be lacking in the extant literature are
victim’s stories of what happened after they as children disclosed intra-familial
sexual abuse. Thus, 16 women living in Saskatchewan, Canada were
interviewed about their experiences of disclosing, before age 18, intra-familial
child sexual abuse. Employing feminist research methods and a constructivist
grounded theory research design, this research explores and describes the
process of disclosing, what happened after they disclosed, and how the abuse
ended. Two models for understanding disclosing and ending intra-familial
child sexual abuse and reactions to the disclosures are presented. The first reflects the factors impacting disclosing and ending abuse and the reactions of
families, community members, and professionals. The second envisions
optimal conditions for disclosing and ending intra-familial child sexual abuse,
and for achieving the desired responses to disclosures. Implicit within the
second model are recommendations for change, including implications for
professional practice and education.
This research is grounded in feminist, constructivist, and social work
traditions of witnessing individual subjective experiences and transforming
what is learned into individual and social change through social action. In
addressing concerns raised through women’s personal narratives, this research
aims to increase awareness and understanding among peers, families, formal
and informal support systems, and communities about how to respond
appropriately, supportively, and helpfully to children’s disclosures of sexual
abuse. Further, this research aspires to contribute to prevention, clinical
intervention, and child protection practices and policies, with an ultimate goal
of ending child sexual abuse
Transforming Field Education During COVID-19
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