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Healing from Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse: The Role of Relational Processes between Survivor and Offender

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 July 2015

Janice Paige  and
Jennifer Thornton
Janice Paige*
Affiliation:
Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia
Jennifer Thornton
Affiliation:
School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia
*
address for correspondence: Janice Paige, P.O. Box 667, Bentley, WA 6982. Telephone: 0422 574824. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The research aim was to discover the circumstances, if any, in which contact with the parent who had abused them, could help survivors of intrafamilial child sexual abuse (ICSA) to recover from the inherent relational trauma. Thirty-five (31 female and 4 male) participants were recruited from across Australia and New Zealand to speak about their experience of post-abuse contact. The research methodology was primarily qualitative, and analysed in a contextual framework. In the Pre-Contact stage, themes such as the need for empowerment versus the fear of the response, linked to motivations for and against contact. Emotional reactions, and issues of acknowledgment and apology were core themes in the Contact stage. Post-contact themes related to evaluation of the overall experience. The majority of participants believed that their contact experience had helped more than hindered their recovery. Participants articulated the need for more public education about the complexity of ICSA, more options for dealing with the crime, and access to non-judgmental professional help for all the family at disclosure. The emergent themes provide a valuable guide for future research, policy and practice and perhaps most importantly, insight into the needs of victims and their recovery processes.

Keywords

attachmentsexual abusetraumamental healthideologies and policies
Type
Conference Proceedings
Information
Children Australia , Volume 40 , Issue 3: INTERPRETING NEUROSCIENCE, CREATING EVIDENCE - A COLLECTION OF AUSTRALIAN BASED TRAUMA INFORMED RESEARCH AND PRACTICE , September 2015 , pp. 242 - 259
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015 

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