Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T02:14:06.418Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

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: janicepaige@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

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 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Australian Institute of Family Studies. (2013). Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect. Retrieved from http://www.aifs.gov.au/cfca/pubs/factsheets/a141787/index.htmlGoogle Scholar
Berliner, L., & Elliott, D. M. (1996). Sexual abuse of children. In Briere, J., Berliner, L., Bulkley, J. A., Jenny, C., & Reid, T. (Eds.), The APSAC handbook on child maltreatment (pp. 51–71). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Biggs, B. (2004). In moral danger. London: Metro Books.Google Scholar
Briere, J. N. (1992). Child abuse trauma:Theory and treatment of the lasting effects. California: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Briere, J. N. (2000). Inventory of altered self-capacities. Professional Manual. Lutz, Florida: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.Google Scholar
Briere, J. N., & Runtz, M. (2002). The Inventory of Altered Self-Capacities (IASC). Assessment, 9 (3), 230–239.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Butchart, A., Phinney-Harvey, A., Mian, M., & Furniss, T. (2006). Preventing child maltreatment: A guide to taking action and generating evidence [PDF]. Geneva.Google Scholar
Carnes, P. (2001). Out of the shadows: Understanding sexual addiction (3rd ed.). Minnesota, USA: Hazeldon.Google Scholar
Cashmore, J. (2011). Children's participation in family law decision-making. Children and Youth Services Review, 33, 515–520.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cashmore, J., & Shackel, R. (Eds.). (2013). The long-term effects of child sexual abuse. Canberra: Australian Institute of Family Studies.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooney, A., Allan, A., Allan, M., McKillop, D., & Drake, D. (2011). The forgiveness process in primary and secondary victims of violent and sexual offences. Australian Journal of Psychology, 63, 107–118. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-9536.2011.00012.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cutajar, M. C., Mullen, P. E., Ogloff, J. R. P., Thomas, S. D., Wells, D. L., & Spataro, J. (2010). Psychopathology in a large cohort of sexually abused children followed up to 43 years. Child Abuse & Neglect, 34 (11), 813–822. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/:10.1016/j.chiabu.2010.04.004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eastwood, C., & Patton, W. (2002). The experiences of child complainants of sexual abuse in the criminal justice system. Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology.Google Scholar
Elliot, A. & Carnes, C. (2001). Reactions of nonoffending parents to the sexual abuse of their child: Areview of the literature. Child Maltreatment, 6, 314. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1177/1077559501006004005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feiring, C., Taska, L., & Chen, K. (2002). Trying to understand why horrible things happen: Attribution, shame, and symptom development following sexual abuse. Child Maltreatment, 7 (1), 25–39. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/:10.1177/1077559502007001003.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fergus, L., & Keel, M. (2005). Adult victim/survivors of childhood sexual assault. (Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault) ACSSA Wrap, 1 (November).Google Scholar
Finkelhor, D. (1979). Sexually victimised children. New York: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Finkelhor, D., & Browne, A. (1986). Initial and long-term effects: A conceptual framework. A sourcebook on child sexual abuse (pp. 180–198). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Hampson, K. (2009, May 16). Playing safe, West Weekend, 8–10, Perth, West Australian Newspapers.Google Scholar
Harries, M., & Clare, M. (2002). Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse: Evidence and Options. Perth. Retrieved from http://www.uwa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/1102131/MRFinalReport.pdfGoogle Scholar
Hudson-Allez, G. (2011). Infant losses, adult searches: A neural and developmental perspective on psychopathology and sexual offending (2nd edn.). London: Karnac.Google Scholar
Jagannathan, R., & Camasso, M. J. (2011). The crucial role played by social outrage in efforts to reform child protective services. Children and Youth Services Review, 33 (6), 894–900. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/:10.1016/j.childyouth.2010.12.010.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Julich, S. J. (2001). Breaking the silence: Restorative justice and child sexual abuse. (Doctoral). Massey University, Albany, New Zealand.Google Scholar
Lawrence, C. (1987). Report of the Western Australian Government Child Sexual Abuse Task Force. Perth, Government of Western Australia.Google Scholar
Leunissen, J. M., De Cremer, D., Reinders Folmer, C. P., & van Dijke, M. (2013). The apology mismatch: Asymmetries between victim's need for apologies and perpetrator's willingness to apologize. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49 (3), 315–324. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/:10.1016/j.jesp.2012.12.005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lovett, B. B. (2004). Child sexual abuse disclosure: Maternal response and other variables impacting the victim. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 21 (4), 16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Main, M., & Soloman, J. (1990). Procedures for identifying infants as disorganised/disoriented during the Ainsworth Strange Situation. In Greenberg, M., Cicchetti, D. & Cummings, E. M. (Eds.), Attachment in the preschool years:Theory, research and intervention. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Maurice, D. (2009). Perceptions of justice in the criminal justice system: The experience of non-offending caregivers of child sexual abuse victims. (Doctoral). Brandeis University, Massachusetts.Google Scholar
McGregor, K. (1994). Warriors of truth. Dunedin, New Zealand: University of Otago Press.Google Scholar
Morris, A. (2002). Children and family violence: Restorative messages from New Zealand. In Strang, H. & Braithwaite, J. (Eds.), Restorative justice and family violence (pp. 89–107). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Mullinar, L. (1997). The Liz Mullinar Story. Australia: Hodder Headline.Google Scholar
Ogloff, J. R. P., Cutajar, M. C., Mann, R. E., & Mullen, P. E. (2012). Child sexual abuse and subsequent offending and victimisation: A 45 year follow-up study. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. Vol. June. council, C. r. (Ed.) Trends and issues in crime and criminal justice. Retrieved from http://aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/tandi/421-440/tandi440.htmlGoogle Scholar
Pauls, M. (2007). An Evaluation of the Mamowichihitowin Community Wellness Program: Ottowa, Aboriginal Peoples Collection. Retrieved from www.publicsafety.gc.ca.Google Scholar
Purvis, M., & Joyce, A. (2005). Child sexual abuse is a global health problem: Where is Australia. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 12 (2), 11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sheinberg, M., & Fraenkel, P. (2001). The relational trauma of incest. New York: The Guildford Press.Google Scholar
Siegel, D. (2012). The developing mind: How relationships and the brain interact to shape who we are. (2nd edn.). New York: Guildford Press.Google Scholar
Slocum, D., Allan, A., & Allan, M. (2011). An emerging theory of apology. Australian Journal of Psychology, 63, 83–92. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/:10.1111/j.1742-9536.2011.00013.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, J., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Smith, J. A. (1995). Semi-structured interviewing and qualitative analysis. In Smith, J. A., Harre, R. & Langenhere, L. V. (Eds.), Rethinking methods in psychology (pp. 9–26). London: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, J. A., & Osborn, M. (2003). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In Smith, J. A. (Ed.), Qualitative Psychology: A practical guide to research methods (pp. 51–80). London: Sage.Google Scholar
Strang, H. (2002). Repair or revenge: Victims and restorative justice. Oxford: Clarendon Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stubbs, J. (2002). Domestic violence and women's safety: Feminist challenges to restorative justice. In Strang, H. & Braithwaite, J. (Eds.), Restorative justice and family violence (pp. 42–61). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Tronick, E. (2007). The neurobehavioral and social-emotional development of infants and children. New York: Norton Professional.Google Scholar
Walsh, K., Fortier, M. A., & DiLillo, D. (2010). Adult coping with childhood sexual abuse: A theoretical and empirical review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 15 (1), 1–13. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/:10.1016/j.avb.2009.06.009CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
White, P. A. R. (2008). Representations of children in a monopoly print medium. Doctor of Social Work (Doctoral). University of Western Australia.Google Scholar
Wilson, K. R., Hansen, D. J., & Li, M. (2011). The traumatic stress response in child maltreatment and resultant neuropsychological effects. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 16 (2), 87–97. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/:10.1016/j.avb.2010.12.007CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Young, M. (2007). Aboriginal healing circle models addressing child sexual assault. The Winston Memorial Churchill Trust of Australia. Retrieved from http://www.churchilltrust.com.au/media/fellows/Young_Mandy_2006.pdfGoogle Scholar