Disclosure of Child Sexual Assault: Implications for Mothers

Humphreys, Cathy

doi:10.1080/03124079208550152

Cited by 26 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Discovery of abuse by mothers is a process and the current study underscores that finding (Alaggia, 2004;Humphreys, 1992). It also points to a need to help mothers listen, notice, and respond appropriately to suspicions of abuse.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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The discovery process: What mothers see and do in gaining awareness of the sexual abuse of their children

Plummer

2006

Child Abuse & Neglect

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Objective-The aim of this study was to explore how mothers discovered that their children had been sexually abused. The exploration included learning from whom or in what ways mothers learned about the abuse, whether there were prior suspicions, if actions were taken to determine likelihood of abuse, and the barriers to recognizing abuse.Method-An exploratory survey of 125 nonabusive mothers of sexually abused children in three clinical sites was used. The sample included primarily Caucasians and African Americans in a Midwestern state. A focus group study was used to develop the instrument. The survey was analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results-Mothers first came to learn of sexual abuse from a verbal report (42%) or behaviors (15%) of their victimized child. Almost half of the mothers had a sense that something was "not quite right" prior to knowing about the abuse. Mothers took many actions to try to clarify what was occurring including talking with their child (66%) or watching things more closely (39%) Evidence most convincing mothers of the abuse included child's disclosure (74%), child's behavior (66%) and child's emotions (60%). Factors increasing uncertainty included denial by the abuser (21%).Conclusions-This exploratory study provides initial data on how mothers come to learn of and believe the sexual abuse of their children. Educating mothers about effective ways to explore suspicions and weigh the evidence for or against abuse may enhance maternal protection and expedite investigations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…For many mothers, discovery of abuse may be more of a process than an event (Humphreys, 1992). Rarely does a child simply make a straight-forward report after the first incident of abuse (Alaggia, 2004;Sorenson & Snow, 1991).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The discovery process: What mothers see and do in gaining awareness of the sexual abuse of their children

Plummer

2006

Child Abuse & Neglect

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“…Corcoran (2004) suggested that mothers' intervention programmes should be aimed at increasing their supportive attitude towards their children, addressing issues of anger, guilt, depression, to mention but a few, and also to address the effects of secondary traumatization. Mothers who remain stuck in the stage of shock and disbelief are unlikely to offer emotional support to their daughters (Humphreys, 1992) and to make informed decisions about the parental relationship. The mother need assistance to understand that they cannot take responsibility for the abuse of their daughters nor their daughters and that only the perpetrator should take the responsibility for the abuse.…”

Section: Conclusion and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Elliot and Carnes (2001) learning about the sexual abuse of the child is usually unexpected and leaves the mother in a confused state. In this regard Humphreys (1992) is of the view that maternal response can move along the continuum of belief, ambivalence and disbelief, and this could be in either direction. The estimates of the level of maternal support varied across studies ranging between 27%-84% (Allagia, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Maternal Response to Father-Daughter Incest: Experiences of Mothers Following Disclosure

Mayekiso

Mbokazi

2007

Journal of Psychology in Africa

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Maternal response to Incest 51-56 This study explored the impact of the disclosure of sexual abuse of the daughter by the father or father figure on the mother. Data were collected from seven mothers aged between 31 and 48 years whose daughters had a history of sexual abuse by the biological father, stepfather or live-in boyfriend. The children's ages ranged between 5 and 11 years with disclosure having taken place in the last two years before data collection. Data were collected using an interview schedule. The results obtained from the thematic content analysis indicate that the mothers were traumatized by the disclosure of the sexual abuse. The most prevalent symptoms were anger, anxiety, guilty, depression, insomnia, headache and fatigue. It is recommended that mothers be provided with psychological intervention in order to assist them deal with the trauma associated with the disclosure of the father-daughter incest.

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“…Efforts put into empowering and supporting mothers and other non-abusipg significant others will clearly have benefits for the well-being of the abused children as well as for the adults themselves (Humphreys 1990). In doing so, however, the child's experience of betrayal should not be inadvertently minimised.…”

Section: Relationships With Mothersmentioning

confidence: 98%

Working with sexually abused children: Insights from adult survivors

Darlington

1995

Children Australia

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In a qualitative study of adult women's experiences of having been sexually abused as children, research participants reported their recollections of their responses, as children, t o sexual abuse and of their relationships with mothers and peers.Childhood responses t o sexual abuse included attempts t o escape, fear, guilt and shame. Attempts t o escape encompassed physical resistance as well as mental processes, such as daydreaming and dissociation. Despite numerous such attempts t o escape, in the context of immobilising fear, many still blamed themselves for the sexual abuse. Many also experienced shame, a profound sense of exposure and humiliation. Relationships with mothers were dominated by feelings of loss and betrayal which, in several cases, had persisted into adulthood. Relationships with peers were characterised by Isolation, with underlying fear of rejection and humiliation. Physical and verbal abuse, by a wider range of perpetrators, was common.5evera\ conclusions for therapy with sexually abused children are drawn: Attention to the full range of a t t e m p t s t o escape sexual abuse, In the context of immobilising fear, could help dispel children's sense of guilt about sexual abuse. The experiences of guilt and shame should both be addressed. In not blaming mothers for sexual abuse, arty negative a s p e c t s of the child's experience of his or her relationship with mother should not be Inadvertently minimised. The fear of exposure or rejection underlying poor peer relationships should be addressed a s p a r t of a t t e m p t s a t Improving peer relationships. Isolation accruing from other forms of child abuse by a wider range of perpetrators needs to be addressed.

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Disclosure of Child Sexual Assault: Implications for Mothers

Cited by 26 publications

References 3 publications

The discovery process: What mothers see and do in gaining awareness of the sexual abuse of their children

The discovery process: What mothers see and do in gaining awareness of the sexual abuse of their children

Maternal Response to Father-Daughter Incest: Experiences of Mothers Following Disclosure

Working with sexually abused children: Insights from adult survivors

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