Parental experiences in cases of child sexual abuse: a qualitative study |
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Authors: | Dorothy A. Scott |
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Affiliation: | School of Social Work, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia |
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Abstract: | This paper describes the themes which emerged from in-depth interviews with parents of a small number of Australian children who were believed to have been sexually abused. The parents' experiences in the wake of the abuse, including their involvement with three services - a hospital counselling service, the statutory child protection service, and the police - were explored in home interviews conducted 3 months following termination of the case by these services. The themes include: issues related to trust and authority in the casework relationship; expectations of counselling; contamination of normal sexuality in the family; the perception of the sexually abused child as'damaged'; and relationships within their family and social network. Some of the implications for practice are discussed. |
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Keywords: | parental perceptions child sexual abuse qualitative research counseling |
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