Relational and Sexual Experiences of Betrayal From the Point of View of Sexually Victimized Young Women

2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051988819
Author(s):  
Roxanne Guyon ◽  
Mylène Fernet ◽  
Martine Hébert
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Sexual Experiences ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Traumagenic Dynamics ◽  
Sexually Victimized

Worldwide, it is estimated that one in five women have reported being sexually victimized before the age of 18. Girls are particularly at risk of sexual abuse at the end of adolescence and are more vulnerable to revictimization during this period. However, there is a paucity of findings related to the relational and sexual impacts of child sexual abuse among young women. The traumagenic dynamics model, proposed by Finkelhor and Browne, postulates that the consequences of sexual abuse can be analyzed in light of four distinct dynamics: traumatic sexualization, betrayal, powerlessness, and stigmatization. Among the four postulated dynamics, betrayal appears to be a key element to gain insight on the relational challenges experienced by victims, as betrayal situations can recur in romantic relationships. The present study aimed to describe, from the point of view of young women victims of child sexual abuse, the issues related to betrayals in their relational and sexual experiences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 young women aged 18 to 25 years old who had reported sexual victimization. Two main conceptual categories emerged from the narratives of the participants: (a) relational situations that echo the betrayal dynamic and (b) strategies to cope with relational situations involving betrayal: protection, reparation, and the use of both strategies, which leads to ambivalence. Findings highlight the importance of addressing the traumagenic dynamic of betrayal in interventions with sexually abuse youths, given their likelihood to experience betrayal in the context of romantic relationships and their increased risk of revictimization.

scholarly journals Child Sexual Abuse, Self-esteem, and Delinquent Behaviors During Adolescence: The Moderating Role of Gender

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110014
Author(s):  
Amélie Gauthier-Duchesne ◽  
Martine Hébert ◽  
Martin Blais
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
School Students ◽  
Delinquent Behaviors ◽  
Male Adolescents ◽  
Moderated Mediation Model ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Complex Phenomena

To reflect the complex phenomena of child sexual abuse (CSA), studies should examine possible gender specificities and explore potentially explanatory mechanisms. The current study aimed to test the moderating effect of gender in the mediated relationship between CSA, self-esteem, and delinquency during adolescence. A moderated mediation model was tested among a representative sample of 8,194 high school students (57.8% girls and 42.2% boys) age 14 to 18 in the province of Quebec in Canada. Results showed that self-esteem has an indirect effect on the relationship between CSA and delinquency. Gender (being a boy) was associated with a higher level of self-esteem and an increased risk of delinquent behaviors. Among victims of CSA, boys reported lower levels of self-esteem than girls, which was associated with an increased risk of displaying delinquent behaviors. Self-esteem may be an important target of intervention for sexually abused youth, especially for boys. Focusing on promoting positive self-esteem may also reduce the risk for male adolescents struggling with the deleterious consequences of delinquency.

scholarly journals Children with a language disorder are vulnerable to sexual abuse

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Preliminary Data ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Disclosure Patterns

Preliminary data suggest that children with language disorder may be at an increased risk of child sexual abuse (CSA),1,2 but few have studied the CSA experiences, disclosure patterns or reactions to disclosure in these children.

scholarly journals Risk Factors and Services to Reduce Child Sexual Abuse Recurrence

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-116
Author(s):  
Vincent J. Palusci ◽  
Marissa Ilardi
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
Alcohol Problems ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Protective Services ◽  
Hispanic Families ◽  
Substance Abuse Services ◽  
Increased Risk

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with a range of negative consequences for victims that are compounded when it recurs. We used the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System to study a cohort of 42,036 children in 45 U.S. states with sexual abuse reports first confirmed by child protective services (CPS) during 2010 in order to identify children with increased risk for recurrence. A small proportion (3.6%) had a second confirmed sexual abuse report through 2015. In multivariate models, female gender, family hearing and vision problems, other child maltreatment, and other family violence were associated with increased risk of recurrence, while younger children, Hispanic families, and those with substance abuse tended to have less risk. One fourth of recurrence involved the same offender, usually a parent or caretaker. One fourth of cases were referred for any CPS services, which were more likely to be provided for families with poverty, drug or alcohol problems, or other violence. Only substance abuse services significantly reduced recurrence in multivariable models. Those trying to reduce CSA recurrence should recognize that certain case characteristics are associated with greater recurrence, and most CPS services do not significantly reduce CSA recurrence.

scholarly journals Severity of Child Sexual Abuse and Revictimization: The Mediating Role of Coping and Trauma Symptoms

2009 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 308-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle A. Fortier ◽  
David DiLillo ◽  
Terri L. Messman-Moore ◽  
James Peugh ◽  
Kathleen A. DeNardi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexual Coercion ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Avoidant Coping ◽  
Trauma Symptoms ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Sexual Revictimization ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Modifiable Factors

Child sexual abuse (CSA) has consistently been associated with the use of avoidant coping; these coping methods have been associated with increased trauma symptoms, which have, in turn, been linked to increased risk for adult sexual revictimization. Given these previous findings, the purpose of the current study was to test a model that conceptualized the relationships among these variables. Specifically, CSA severity was conceptualized as leading to the use of avoidant coping, which was proposed to lead to maintenance of trauma symptoms, which would, in turn, impact severity of revictimization indirectly. This comprehensive model was tested in a cross-sectional study of a large, geographically diverse sample of college women. Participants were 99 female undergraduates classified as having experienced CSA who completed measures of abuse history, coping style, current levels of trauma symptoms, and adult sexual revictimization. Multivariate path analysis indicated that the data fit the hypothesized model for verbally coercive, but not physically aggressive, revictimization. Specifically, increased CSA severity was associated with the use of avoidant coping, which, in turn, predicted greater levels of trauma symptomatology and severity of sexual coercion in adulthood. Although cross-sectional in nature, findings from this study suggest that coping strategies and trauma symptoms may represent modifiable factors that place women at increased risk for verbally coercive sexual revictimization.

The Prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse in Out-of-home Care: Increased Risk for Children with a Mild Intellectual Disability

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saskia Euser ◽  
Lenneke R.A. Alink ◽  
Anne Tharner ◽  
Marinus H. van IJzendoorn ◽  
Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Mild Intellectual Disability ◽  
Out Of Home Care ◽  
Increased Risk

Characteristics of Perpetrators of Child Sexual Abuse Who Have Been Sexually Victimized as Children

Sexual Abuse ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackie Craissati ◽  
Grace McClurg ◽  
Kevin Browne
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexually Victimized

scholarly journals “Prevention Alone Is Not Enough:” Stakeholders’ Perspectives About School-based Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Prevention Programs and CSA Research in China

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052095963
Author(s):  
Mengyao Lu ◽  
Jane Barlow ◽  
Franziska Meinck ◽  
Yumeng Wu
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Prevention Programs ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
School Based

While existing studies have examined the effectiveness of school-based child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention programs in China, there is currently little qualitative evidence on how stakeholders view these programs and research on CSA in China more generally. To address this research gap, the aims of this study were to explore stakeholders’ perspectives on: (a) school-based CSA prevention programs in China; (b) the components of these programs; (c) CSA research in China. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 participants in Beijing and a county under Lanzhou City, China. Interview transcripts were systematically coded and emerging themes were developed from the codes. An inductive thematic analysis approach was utilized to analyze the interview data. Participants’ perspectives on school-based CSA prevention programs included: (a) recognition of the importance of school-based CSA prevention programs; (b) fear about a possible negative impact on children participating in such programs; (c) assessment that school-based CSA prevention programs alone are not enough to prevent CSA. Components that participants thought needed to be part of Chinese school-based CSA prevention programs were: (a) content regarding online-facilitated CSA; (b) the use of a rights-based approach; and (c) greater parental and community involvement. Participants also identified factors that have both fostered the implementation of CSA research (e.g., the growing awareness of CSA in the central government) and prevented researchers from effectively conducting CSA research: (a) lack of national data; (b) inadequate government support; and (c) barriers to research collaboration among organizations. The findings indicate that while CSA prevention programs are on the whole regarded positively by key stakeholders in China, a number of important concerns were identified. Our study highlighted a number of ways in which future CSA prevention programs and research on CSA could be strengthened in the Chinese context.

scholarly journals Associations between child sexual abuse and negative sexual experiences and revictimization among women: Does measuring severity matter?

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (11) ◽  
pp. 946-955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamra B. Loeb ◽  
Tommi Gaines ◽  
Gail E. Wyatt ◽  
Muyu Zhang ◽  
Honghu Liu
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexual Experiences

scholarly journals Identity, Forgiveness and Power in the Management of Child Sexual Abuse by Personnel in Christian Institutions

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jodi Death
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Church Leaders ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Christian Institutions ◽  
Pastoral Power ◽  
Power Effect ◽  
Anglophone World

The ongoing crises of child sexual abuse by Christian institutions leaders across the Anglophone world continue to attract public attention and public inquiries. The pervasiveness of this issue lends credence to the argument that the prevailing ethos functioning within some Christian Institutions is one which exercises influence to repeatedly mismanage allegations of child sexual abuse by Church leaders. This work draws on semi-structured interviews conducted with 15 Personnel in Christian Institutions (PICIs) in Australia who were identified as being pro-active in their approach to addressing child sexual abuse by PICIs. From these data, themes of power and forgiveness are explored through a Foucaultian conceptualising of pastoral power and ‘truth’ construction. Forgiveness is viewed as a discourse which can have the power effect of either silencing or empowering victim/survivors. The study concludes that individual PICIs’ understandings of the role of power in their praxis influences outcomes from the deployment of forgiveness.

scholarly journals Responding to Child Maltreatment

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-29
Author(s):  
Kathrin Franziska Beck ◽  
Riitta Vornanen
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Maltreatment ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Child Neglect ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Case Vignette ◽  
School Meals ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Free School

Child maltreatment is a major topic of concern in European countries. This article compares how Finnish and German school social workers (SSW) respond to child maltreatment (CM). For the purpose of this study, a case vignette was designed that implied multiple forms of CM, including child sexual abuse, the failure to provide a child with adequate nutrition and hygiene and exposure to violent environments. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with eight SSW from Finland and Germany to examine their first reactions to the case, their professional approach and country-specific solutions. The transcribed interviews were subjected to content analysis. Concerning suspected child sexual abuse, the findings reveal that the Finnish SSW would inform the child protection services and the police directly after information regarding suspected maltreatment had been verified, whereas the German participants would seek professional advice and carry out a risk assessment. However, despite the fundamental differences between these approaches, both are in line with national legislation. Concerning the inadequate provision of nutrition, the findings reveal that German children are not provided with free school meals nationwide like Finnish children. Nonetheless, as this study shows, providing children with a free school lunch does not ensure that they are adequately provided for during the entire day. It is recommended children in both countries be provided with free school meals nationwide, to implement means-tested benefits for those who need greater support and to strengthen the education of SSW in the early identification of child neglect, in addition to fostering a holistic approach to treating clients.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document