Voices of Healing and Recovery from Childhood Sexual Abuse

Abstract

Child sexual abuse continues to occur for a significant number of children, often having deleterious consequences for survivors' physical and mental health. Research has thoroughly explored various consequences as a result of child sexual abuse, but scholars and practitioners know less about the healing processes from survivors' viewpoints. Using a constructivist grounded theory design, this study examined perceptions of healing in 10 female survivors of child sexual abuse. Results conclude with a theoretical model of healing, capturing the significance of supportive relationships, internal characteristics, turning points, and sources of active healing. Important sources of active healing include therapy, informal and formal education, compassion and empathy, blame attribution to abusers, and confronting abusers. Limitations and implications for research and practice are discussed.

“From that Moment on My Life Changed”: Turning Points in the Healing Process for Men Recovering from Child Sexual Abuse

“…Using grounded theory design, Arias and Johnson (2013) analyzed perceptions of healing among 10 female survivors of CSA. The researchers constructed a model of healing that included proactive decision points (e.g., seeking therapy, volunteering/helping others, confronting the abuser).…”

Conceptualising a Proposed Support Strategy for Sexually Abused Boys in Middle Childhood

“…The value of social support (Arias & Johnson, 2013;Sperry & Widom, 2013) to MCSA victims should be emphasised, as it can be seen as another protective factor against the negative impact of MCSA (Schönbucher et al, 2014). Support to MCSA victims is an ongoing process and therefore the application of these strategies will never come to an end.…”

“…Research literature (Armstrong, 2012;Otten & Tuttle, 2011) confirms the importance of the relationship between the role player and the child. The role players will not be able to support the MCSA child effectively unless this relationship is deep (Handwerk, Huefner, Ringle, Howard, Soper, Almquist & Chmelka, 2008) and built on trust (Arias & Johnson, 2013;Cohen et al, 2012). The strengths perspective highlights that this relationship should be one where the role player believes in the boy as an individual (Jones-Smith, 2011; Sabalauskas et al, 2014).…”

“…To ensure that these boys experience safety and care, a proposed support strategy should involve the facilitation of a supportive context for them (Ristuccia, 2013). According to social support theory (House, 1981), sexually abused children with adequate support adjust more easily after the abuse experience than those with low levels of support (Arias & Johnson, 2013;Cyr et al, 2013;Mathews et al, 2013). Several authors (Mathews et al, 2013;Sperry & Widom, 2013;Van Toledo & Seymor, 2013) are of the opinion that social support serves as a 'protective' factor against people's vulnerability because of the negative effects of stress on health.…”

“…The individual can function as part of an interpersonal network (Wilson & Scarpa, 2013). Social support can be seen as a protective factor among individuals at risk (Arias & Johnson, 2013;Sperry & Widom, 2013), such as MCSA victims (Schönbucher, Maier, Mohler-Kuo, Schnyder & Landolt, 2014). Yet no research at national or at international level about support strategies for MCSA victims placed in a clinic school could be located.…”