Growing up at centrepoint: retrospective accounts of childhood spent at an intentional community

A qualitative analysis of the accounts of 29 adults who grew up in a controversial New Zealand community identified positive and negative experiences and their psychological implications. In addition to highly publicized child sexual abuse that occurred at Centrepoint, children also experienced parental neglect, psychological manipulation, illegal drug use and stigma from the broader society. These factors created an adverse matrix that facilitated sexual abuse. Positive experiences included support for vulnerable families and children, recreational activities, and the opportunity to develop communication skills. While there may be positive experiences for children living in intentional communities such as this one, it is important to be aware of the potential for psychological harm to children in communities with powerful, shared systems of belief, skepticism about the broader society, and strong dynamics of dependence. These findings may have implications for other similar communities operating elsewhere in the world.     

Child Sexual Abuse and the Black Disabled Child

This paper seeks to document a previously neglected area of study, namely the effects of sexual abuse on black disabled children. With a particular focus on black children with learning disabilities, it examines how the interlocking dimensions of race, gender and disability compound the problems that they are faced with in the aftermath of sexual abuse. This paper presents case studies drawn from data generated from a broader research project of sexual abuse and black families to illustrate the specific ways the negatively valued position of black disabled children shape responses to them. It is argued that the way in which black disabled children and their families interpret their experiences is likely to differ from other groups of disabled children, as multiple marginalised identities shape their lived realities. The paper concludes with some reflections on the implications for making risk assessment for black disabled children.     

Child Sexual Abuse Workers’ Emotional Experiences of Working Therapeutically in the Western Cape, South Africa

South African child sexual abuse workers active in low-income communities bear witness to stories of sexual and physical abuse, neglect, pervasive deprivation, and violence. North American, British, and European workers’ emotional experiences have been captured in the literature, and a gap remains to be filled by those of their South African colleagues. This research aims to focus on the emotional experiences of social workers who engage therapeutically with sexually abused children in the Helderberg basin of the Western Cape, and resonate in some way with readers working in situations of poverty and trauma in other parts of the world. This study employed an explorative inductive research method, and followed a critical realist and contextual constructionist approach. Multiple-case study data collection took place by means of semi-structured interviews with social workers who engage therapeutically with sexually abused children. Data were examined by means of thematic analysis, and psychoanalytic theory was employed to analyse defences that surfaced during interviews. There were similarities in emotional experiences between South African participants and their abovementioned counterparts. The research also identified salient features of working with child sexual abuse in South Africa. The emotional experiences of doing such work, coupled with participants’ ways of managing sexually abused children’s material, gave rise to possible vicarious traumatisation symptoms and allowed for a psychoanalytic understanding to be put forward. The research also reports on useful measures that might enable individuals to continue interventions. To enable ongoing effective therapeutic engagement, social workers should have access to opportunities for acknowledging countertransferences and processing dynamic material defended against. The research contributes to knowledge of working in South Africa by exploring the emotional experiences of those who help sexually abused children daily, and by investigating the psychological impact prolonged therapeutic engagement has on workers active in Western Cape low-income communities.     

Filipino American Dating Violence

Summary

This study examined 171 Filipino American undergraduate students on physical, sexual, and psychological definitions and contextual justifications of and experiences with dating violence. A blended methodology that combined survey and focus group data was used. Filipino Americans tended to define dating violence as physical and sexual abuse. Perceptions of psychological abuse were more narrowly defined than physical and sexual violence. Conversely, focus group data indicated that Filipino American students are very cognizant of what comprises psychological abuse. Scaled score findings showed no significant differences between Filipino males and females. However, closer examination of the items comprising the scales revealed significant gender differences in contextual justifications and definitions of psychological abuse. Contextual justification was the only variable to have a significant effect on experiences of dating violence. Filipino American culture and history are used to assist in explaining the findings and formulate implications for practice.     

Violence Exposure Among Children of Incarcerated Mothers

Social workers are becoming increasingly aware of the unique experiences faced by children of incarcerated parents. Little is known, however, about their experiences prior to their parents being incarcerated. Using data from a broader study of incarcerated women, we examined women’s accounts of their children’s exposure to violence prior to maternal incarceration. Open-ended interviews addressed family and relationship history, physical and psychological victimization, lifetime delinquency and crime, and interactions with service and justice systems. Interviews were analyzed using ATLAS/ti software and a grounded-theory approach. The emergent themes revealed a myriad of consequences experienced by the children, including child witnessing of violence, emotional sequelae, bodily harm from abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, and birth defects from prenatal violence. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Twice Silenced: The Underreporting of Child Sexual Abuse in Orthodox Jewish Communities

ABSTRACT

Child sexual abuse remains an underreported crime throughout the world, despite extensive research and resources dedicated both to improving investigative techniques and helping children disclose their experiences. The discovery of rampant cover-ups within the Catholic Church has exposed some of the ways religious and cultural issues can impede reporting to authorities. This article examines specific factors that contribute to the underreporting of child sexual abuse within Orthodox Jewish communities. It also explores ways in which these communities have handled child sexual abuse reporting in the past and describes recent progress. Implications are offered for CSA prevention, detection, and recovery in Orthodox Jewish communities as well as other minority religious groups.     

Psychological Assessment through Performance-Based Techniques and Self-Reports: A Case Study of a Sexually Abused Girl at Preschool Age

We investigated the implicit psychological and behavioral consequences of sexual abuse in an adolescent girl who suffered child sexual abuse at preschool age in this case report. We report the manifestations of this abuse on her personality and psychological functioning using a structured clinical interview and a comprehensive psychological battery including the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Standard Progressive Matrices, Rorschach Ink Blots, and the Schema Mode Inventory. These investigations were useful in formulating both a diagnosis and a management plan. The girl fulfilled diagnostic criteria for a major depressive episode and borderline personality disorder. This combination of psychological testing may be useful in establishing an accurate multiaxial diagnosis and for understanding the behavioral and psychological sequelae of child sexual abuse in similar cases. The study further suggests that schema-focused therapy is a useful therapeutic tool for individuals who have suffered child sexual abuse at an early age and who have borderline personality disorder.     

Psychological assessment through performance-based techniques and self-reports: a case study of a sexually abused girl at preschool age

We investigated the implicit psychological and behavioral consequences of sexual abuse in an adolescent girl who suffered child sexual abuse at preschool age in this case report. We report the manifestations of this abuse on her personality and psychological functioning using a structured clinical interview and a comprehensive psychological battery including the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Standard Progressive Matrices, Rorschach Ink Blots, and the Schema Mode Inventory. These investigations were useful in formulating both a diagnosis and a management plan. The girl fulfilled diagnostic criteria for a major depressive episode and borderline personality disorder. This combination of psychological testing may be useful in establishing an accurate multiaxial diagnosis and for understanding the behavioral and psychological sequelae of child sexual abuse in similar cases. The study further suggests that schema-focused therapy is a useful therapeutic tool for individuals who have suffered child sexual abuse at an early age and who have borderline personality disorder.     

Out-of-home maltreatment: An analysis of risk in various settings for children

Abuse and neglect of children in out-of-home care are common, but comparisons of relative risk among such facilities are rare. Data from Indiana for the period 1984–1990 permit an examination of maltreatment in various settings and computations of rates of physical and sexual abuse and neglect. Findings suggest that children in daycare homes and centers and schools are less likely to be maltreated than those in foster homes, residential homes, or state institutions and hospitals. These differences in risk may reflect variation in staff morale and turnover, different ages and experiences of children, alternative emphases on custody, control or nurturance by the home or institution, and different approaches to substantiating abuse. However, in three of the seven out-of-home settings, there are higher rates of maltreatment than for children in their own homes. Some implications of these findings are explored.     

Victim to Victimizer: The Psychology of Isomorphism in a Case of a Recidivist Pedophile in Finland

ABSTRACT

An extreme case of a six victim, 38-year-old recidivist sex offender was selected for examining the isomorphic relationships between child sexual abuse trauma and adult sex offenses. This sex offender had victimized children of both sexes and an adult woman. Life history, letter, file, and the Adult Attachment Interview information were analyzed to seek the relations between childhood abuse experiences and adult offending. Both subjective reports and file data revealed that the man had experienced severe physical, psychological, and sexual abuse in childhood. His pattern of sexual offending against children was similar to his own experiences of sexual abuse by his father. The age of the child victims fell in the range of his age at the time of the childhood sexual abuse. Moreover, the use of coercion to gain victim compliance resembled the way his father had acted towards him. The pedophile's offending behavior was interpreted using the isomorphic and attachment perspectives.     

The Nature of Posttraumatic Growth in Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

Potential negative sequelae for survivors of child sexual abuse is well documented. However, growing evidence suggests that some individuals who actively cope with traumatic events can progress from a negative trajectory toward positive psychological change, often termed posttraumatic growth. Current posttraumatic growth theories may be of limited applicability to developmental considerations involved in child sexual abuse. This explorative study examines posttraumatic growth among adult female survivors of child sexual abuse. In-depth interviews were conducted with six participants who believed they had grown through coping with their abuse. Data was analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three superordinate and nine subordinate themes were identified and explored. Some participants reported experiencing growth and distress simultaneously. Theoretical and clinical implications are examined in relation to the study’s findings.     

Domestic Violence and Intergenerational Rates of Child Sexual Abuse: A Case Record Analysis

Using case review at a shelter for battered women and their children, this exploratory study investigated the association between physical abuse, exposure to domestic violence and intergenerational occurrence of child sexual abuse. The charts of 570 children were reviewed in an attempt to explore the relationship between the children's experiences with sexual abuse and their nonoffending parent's own history of having been sexually abused. Results indicated that a significant percentage of nonoffending parents who reported a history of child sexual abuse also had children who were sexually abused. Additionally, we found that most (93%) of the children studied had been exposed to domestic violence, and while the base rate of sexual abuse was relatively low (11%), the rate of physical abuse of the children was substantial (41%). Logistic regression results indicated that children of sexually abused nonoffending parents may be at heightened risk for sexual abuse. Implications for treatment and intervention are discussed.     

Treatment Implications Arising From a Qualitative Analysis of Letters Written by the Nonoffending Partners of Men Who Have Perpetrated Child Sexual Abuse

There is a dearth of current empirical research exploring the experiences of nonoffending partners, or women whose partners have perpetrated child sexual abuse. Existing literature is dated and focuses disproportionately on intrafamilial abuse. This research explores how nonoffending partners construct and understand their experiences using thematic analysis within a social constructionist framework. Findings indicate that discovery of a partner's sexual offending is a profoundly distressing experience. It can inhibit a woman's ability to process the broader implications of her partner's behavior, including issues of risk, the impact on the victim, and the additional protective responsibilities she must adopt in the future. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.     

Betrayed and Broken: A Study of the Experiences of Victims of Child Sexual Abuse in the Ga Community in Accra,Ghana

ABSTRACT

Child sexual abuse is increasingly becoming an issue of concern in most societies across the globe, including Ghana. This is a phenomenological study that sought to describe the lived experiences of victims of child sexual abuse in Ghana, using the Ga community as a case study. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to identify 17 sexually abused children in the Ga Community. Using the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), four main themes described the experiences of the victims: (a) forced sex (b) incest (c) joleying and (d) transactional sex. The findings illustrate the different circumstances in which children were sexually abused in the community studied. It also presents socio-cultural factors that normalizes the sexual abuse of children in the Ga Community. These findings underline the need for effective preventive programs and community interventions to protect children and support victims of child sexual abuse.     

Therapeutically Managing Reunification After Abuse Allegations

School-based programs have been the central strategy to educate children about the serious nature of child sexual abuse in the hope of prevention or early intervention. Virtually all evaluations have been quantitative, seldom allowing children to directly comment on their experiences. This article presents the results of qualitative research with 116 students (51 boys and 65 girls) ranging from age 6 to 12 who had participated in the Who Do You Tell child sexual abuse education program. Ten focus groups were conducted with students in separate grades, from kindergarten through sixth grade, two to three months after program participation. The core themes that emerged from the focus group interviews are presented, as are implications for child sexual abuse prevention programs.     

Situating the Notion of “gbɛkɛfɔŋs” in the Discourse of Child Sexual Abuse Among the Ga in Accra,Ghana

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a prevalent problem in many societies across the globe. There have been several discussions of the subject and attempts have been made to explain its incidence and find ways to prevent and/or control it. However, despite these efforts, the problem seems to persist in developing countries like Ghana with dire consequences for the children and society at large. This paper sought to glean insights about the persistence of the problem by focusing on the discourse surrounding the subject. Using Focus Group Discussions with adult members in the Ga communities in Accra namely La, Teshie, and James Town where the phenomenon is relatively pervasive, the paper sought to understand the reasoning and the implications of accusing children who were sexually abused in the Ga community of seducing the perpetrators and engaging in sex for money. The paper posits that the labeling of victims of CSA as “gb?k?f??s” (children of bad character) disempowers children and perpetuates the abuse of children. Thus, introducing and situating this notion of “gb?k?f??s” in the center of the discourse largely results in a victimization of the victims and a vicious cycle of CSA. The conclusions from this study point to the need for a reorientation of parental and communal roles and an empowering of children to identify and resist sexual abuse.     

Characteristics of Sexually Abused Children and Their Nonoffending Mothers Followed by Child Welfare Services: The Role of a Maternal History of Child Sexual Abuse

Considering the importance of mother’s support in the adaptation of a sexually abused child, it is relevant to determine if the mothers and children involved in an intergenerational cycle of child sexual victimization differ from dyads in which only the child has been abused. The purpose of this study was to compare mother–child dyads with sexually abused children according to whether the mother had herself been victim of child sexual abuse. The sample included 87 dyads with sexually abused children aged 3–18 years old and their mothers (44 reporting maternal and child abuse), followed by social welfare services of the province of Quebec (Canada). The two groups of mothers were compared on their past family abuse experiences and past family relations, their mental health history, their current psychological distress, their parenting behaviors, and their current levels of family functioning. Children were compared on their adaptation. Multivariate analyses indicated that mothers reporting child sexual abuse were more likely to report more other maltreatments in their childhood and greater prevalence of lifetime history of alcohol abuse disorders, dysthymia, and panic disorder compared with mothers who had not experienced CSA. Compared to children whose mothers had not experienced CSA, those whose mothers had experienced CSA showed higher rates of problems behaviors and were more likely to report having been sexually abused by a trusted person. These results highlight the specific clinical needs for the assessment and treatment for sexually abused children whose mothers experienced child sexual abuse.     

Factors that predict how women label their own childhood sexual abuse

Despite the psychological impact of child sexual abuse, many victims do not acknowledge that their experiences were "abuse". This study sought to identify factors that predict how women label their own experiences of childhood sexual abuse. This cross-sectional study was conducted in a family medicine clinic with adult female patients. Subjects completed structured interviews about their childhood environment and their sexual abuse history. Logistic regression analysis showed that labeling of abuse was dependent upon intercourse (beta = 7.43, p = .006), the frequency of abuse by the first perpetrator (beta = 5.08, p = .024), and paternal overprotection (beta = 6.69, p = .010). Findings suggest that the severity of abusive acts is most important and an over-protective father may enhance the victim's acknowledgment that sexual touching is abusive.     

Secrecy Surrounding the Physical Abuse of Child Athletes in Australia

Over the past two decades there has been a growing awareness that sport may not be a positive experience for all children. For example, we know that some children experience sexual abuse in the context of organised sport, and that these offences are often committed by trusted adults, including coaches and club officials. However, less attention has been given to the physical abuse of child athletes. This paper presents a study that explored children's experiences of organised sport, as recounted by young people between the ages of 18 and 25 years in Australia. The study explored the experience of child physical abuse in organised sport including violence, overtraining, and training while injured. A mixed methods research design produced 107 survey responses and 10 in-depth interviews with young adults. Most respondents reported the positive impact that participating in sport had had on their development, but more than a third of the respondents also described experiences of overtraining, being forced to train when injured or of direct physical violence. Drawing upon a thematic analysis of the qualitative data, a conceptual model has been developed and is presented to assist in the understanding of the dynamic of secrecy, which may facilitate ongoing physical harm to children in this context.     

Sexual Revictimization in Adult Women: Examining Factors Associated with Their Childhood and Adulthood Experiences

Using data collected from a sample of adult women (n = 234), this study examined the relationship between the experience and disclosure of childhood sexual abuse and subsequent adult sexual violence. Multivariate analyses revealed that physical force during the childhood sexual abuse experience was significant in both children's decisions to disclose as well as in adult revictimization experiences. Furthermore, childhood disclosures were significantly associated with adulthood disclosures about revictimization, but only when there was no action following the childhood disclosure. The implications for enhancing training and education about understanding and responding to children and women's disclosures about sexual violence are discussed.