Parents’ Experiences of Their Child’s Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse

Abstract

A child’s disclosure of sexual victimization is a difficult experience for parents and has been associated with traumatization, disbelief, denial, self‐blame, and clinical difficulties. To date, most studies on parents’ responses have been quantitative assessments of the psychological impact of disclosure on parents. A paucity of research has qualitatively explored mothers’ experiences of their child’s disclosure of child sexual abuse (CSA) and fathers’ experiences have been even further neglected. The current study seeks to characterize parents’ experiences of their child’s disclosure of CSA and to uncover the process‐oriented nature of parental responses. This qualitative study, using a grounded theory approach to analysis, involved interviews with 10 mothers and four fathers whose children (3–18 years) had experienced sexual abuse. Three themes emerged from the analysis. The first theme—making sense of the abuse in retrospect—captured the process through which parents sought to make sense of their child’s disclosure, focusing on why their child had not disclosed the abuse to them earlier, and how they had noticed something was wrong but misattributed their child’s behavior to other factors. The second theme—negotiating parental identity as protector—reflected how parents’ identity as a protector was challenged, their perception of their world had been forever altered, and they now experienced themselves as hypervigilant and overprotective. The final theme—navigating the services—pertained to parents’ struggle in navigating child protection and police services, and feelings of being isolated and alone. These findings highlight the need for empathy and parental support following child disclosure of sexual victimization.

“God, why?”: The Experience of Mothers from the Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Sector after their Child’s Disclosure of Sexual Abuse

“…The mothers who decided to engage in therapy from either secular or religious governmental centers reported positive therapeutic outcomes. However, much like findings from the general population, most mothers felt frustrated by the extremely long wait times for therapy (McElvaney & Nixon, 2019), especially from the state-funded religious therapy centers, since there are very few in Israel. Others, although burdened by the social accusations against them, adopted some form of self-acceptance, which seemed to mitigate the adverse effects of the trauma on their well-being.…”

Siblings’ Perspectives of the Impact of Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure on Sibling and Family Relationships

“…Some studies have reported that at least a third of parents experienced post‐traumatic stress disorder (Cyr et al., 2018) or self‐reported depression (Santa‐Sosa et al., 2013) following a CSA disclosure. The literature on parents’ experiences of their child’s CSA disclosure has been described as sparse (McElvaney & Nixon, 2020); this becomes even more evident when considering siblings’ experiences. An acknowledgement in both research and clinical literature that CSA may have a significant impact on all family members, not only the victim and the parents, is needed.…”

Experiences of Parents of Adult Survivors’ Disclosures of Child Sexual Abuse

“…Existing research focusing on experiences of parents of survivors of CSA who disclose while still in childhood indicates that these parents often report experiencing distress, anxiety, depression, shock, panic, trauma, anger, guilt, powerlessness, and confusion (e.g. Cyr et al, 2016; Cyr et al, 2013; Hershkowitz et al, 2007; Kilroy et al, 2014; Landolt et al, 2012; McElvaney & Nixon, 2019; Myrick & Green, 2013; Santa-Sosa et al, 2013; Tal et al, 2018; Tavkar & Hansen, 2011). Parents are also often expected to participate in the treatment of their still-minor children.…”

“…Many survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) suffer for years before potentially reporting the abuse, often in adulthood. Men who are survivors of CSA are less likely to disclose and their disclosures are often more delayed than disclosures made by women who are survivors (Collin-Vézina et al, 2013; Gruenfeld et al, 2017; Hébert et al, 2009; McElvaney & Nixon, 2019; Schönbucher et al, 2012). Progress is being made in elucidating the realities of CSA and in developing treatments and support strategies for primary survivors, whether they disclose as children or adults.…”

“…Progress is being made in elucidating the realities of CSA and in developing treatments and support strategies for primary survivors, whether they disclose as children or adults. Likewise, there is an emerging body of evidence elucidating the impact of CSA disclosure on young children's parents (Cyr et al, 2016; Kilroy et al, 2014; Manion et al, 1996; McElvaney & Nixon, 2019; van Toledo & Seymour, 2016; Wamser-Nanney, 2017). However, extant research has failed to address the experiences of parents of children who disclose experiences of extra-familiar CSA in adulthood.…”