There is consensus in child sexual abuse (CSA) literature with respect to the central role of the disclosure process. However, CSA disclosure is challenging for all children, those who have ...experienced intrafamilial abuse. In recent years, there has been growing research into sibling sexual abuse (SSA), which is a prevalent and severe, but also the least studied form of intrafamilial CSA. This study was designed to advance theory on SSA disclosure by examining the narratives of adults who have disclosed the abuse and discuss it with reference to the perceived role of disclosure recipients—including perpetrating siblings, parents, and professionals. In-depth interviews with 25 adults were conducted and analyzed thematically. The results highlighted the significance of disclosure for survivors, as well as the central roles played by significant others in the process, including the offending and nonoffending siblings, parents, and professionals. The discussion addresses the important role of the family system in the disclosure narratives. The conclusions point to the need of all actors taking part in the disclosure itself, as well as in the survivors’ lives postdisclosure, to become “better” disclosure recipients by acknowledging survivors’ needs. This in turn would also empower survivors to disclose their stories and cope with the potential familial and societal ramifications of their disclosure.
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Adults in your church, small group, or other Christian organization are silently suffering the tragic consequences of having been sexually abused as children or youth. Why aren't they coming forward ...for help? Their reluctance may be related to wounds given by the faithful--religious people they trusted, who said things like "well, it wasn't rape" or "it's been thirty years--why is this such a big deal?" Such responses from people with religious authority deepen victims' need to shrink into anxiety, depression, and self-degradation. This book offers you the tools needed to undertake caring ministry to adults suffering in the aftermath of childhood sexual abuse. Once you understand the scientific research on such topics as trauma memory, consequences of abuse, and forgiveness, you will appreciate how caring collaboration can create hope and healing. In these pages every reader will find helpful content that will take you from feeling out of your depth to knowing you are empowered to be an effective companion in God's transforming work in the lives of survivors of abuse.
This book critically examines the official and popular discourses on grooming, predominantly framed within the context of on-line sexual exploitation and abuse committed by strangers, and ...institutional child abuse committed by those in positions of trust. Set against the broader theoretical framework of risk, security, and governance, this book argues that due to the difficulties of drawing clear boundaries between innocuous and harmful motivations towards children, pre-emptive risk-based criminal law and policy are inherently limited in preventing, targeting, and criminalising ‘grooming’ behaviour prior to the manifestation of actual harm. Through examination of grooming against the complexities of the onset of sexual offending against children and its actual role in this process, the book broadens existing discourses by providing a fuller, more nuanced conceptualisation of grooming, including its role in intra-familial and extra-familial contexts. There is also timely discussion of new and emerging forms of grooming, such as ‘street’ or ‘localised’ grooming, as typified by recent cases in Rochdale and Oldham, and ‘peer-to-peer’ grooming. The book draws on extensive empirical research in the form of over fifty interviews with professionals, working in the fields of sex offender risk assessment, management, or treatment, as well as child protection or victim support in the four jurisdictions of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
Sibling sexual harmful dynamics (SSHD) is a term used, in this study, to refer to childhood sexual behaviors that are inconsistent with age-appropriate curiosity, including sibling sexual abuse ...(SSA). Although SSA is a prevalent and long-lasting form of intrafamilial sexual abuse, it is the least reported, studied, and treated. This study aims to deepen the understanding of the disclosure process of this phenomenon in the Israeli Orthodox Jewish society, as perceived by those involved. Participants were adults from the Orthodox communities in Israel who experienced sexual interactions/abuse with one or more of their siblings. This qualitative constructivist-grounded theory study was based on semi-structured interviews with 24 adults from the Israeli Orthodox Jewish communities. Seven barriers to disclosure were identified and organized into three main categories: intrapersonal, including denial of the acts, guilt, and shame; interpersonal, including the sibling relationship and perceiving the sexual acts as routine; and cultural, including lack of sexual knowledge, the concept of modesty, and marriage prospects. In addition, we highlight the intersectionality between the different contexts of the SSHD. This study explored the barriers to disclosing SSHD in the siblings’ context and the context of the Jewish Orthodox communities. The findings contribute to understanding the unique aspects of the disclosure, as expressed in religious and cultural contexts, the sibling context, and their intersectionality. Cultural and religious sensitivity is crucial for practitioners, especially as issues of sexuality and sexual understanding stem from the related norms and values.
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In research and literature, little attention has been paid to the role of women, especially mothers, in child sexual abuse.
In order to estimate prevalences on mothers as perpetrators and bystanders, ...data was collected in a German nationwide representative survey.
A total of 2,531 participants (53.3 % female, 14−94 years) were selected by a random route procedure and questioned with a paper-pencil-questionnaire.
The survey included the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire as well as questions on the perpetrator-victim relationship, bystanders and the awareness within society on the topic of female-perpetrated child sexual abuse. Prevalences were calculated.
The prevalence of child sexual abuse (6.6 %) as well as the proportion of female perpetrators (6.6 %) determined in the current survey were low compared to the findings of previous studies. Within the group of female perpetrators, biological mothers accounted for a larger share than biological fathers in the group of male perpetrators. Among the bystanders, the biological mother was named most frequently (24.6 %).
The general population underestimates the involvement of biological mothers in child sexual abuse. The results confirm that female perpetrators account for a rather small but substantial proportion of the perpetrators of child sexual abuse. Furthermore, the results indicate that mothers play a role in sexual abuse – either as perpetrators or as bystanders – that has been underestimated so far. It is therefore necessary to sensitize professionals and the public to the topic of female perpetrators and especially to the role of mothers in child sexual abuse.
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Abstract
Introduction
Physical and sexual abuse are common and have demonstrated associations with insomnia. A common factor predisposing individuals to the development of insomnia is sleep ...reactivity, yet no studies have determined the relationship between sleep reactivity and physical and/or sexual abuse.
Methods
Patients with DSM-5 insomnia disorder (N = 658; 519 F; mean age = 45.03) participated in an online randomized controlled trial of behavioral treatment of insomnia. Participants completed the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test (FIRST), and demographic information at baseline. Abuse history was assessed with a single 4-choice item asking participants if they had a history of physical or sexual abuse. One-way analysis of variance was used to determine the level of sleep reactivity in each of the 4 abuse groups (none, physical, sexual, both) controlling for insomnia (ISI). Post-hoc analyses also compared differences in self-reported difficulties falling and staying asleep.
Results
Compared to those with no abuse history (n = 465), patients who reported both physical and sexual abuse (n = 50) had significantly elevated FIRST scores (p < .001). Results remained significant after controlling for severity of insomnia, age, and gender. Post-hoc analyses showed group differences in sleep onset latency but not wake after sleep onset.
Conclusion
Combined physical and sexual abuse are associated with higher levels of sleep reactivity to stress, and that the effects may be most prominent for difficulties falling asleep and not sleep maintenance. Prospective studies are needed to determine the potential effects of abuse on sleep reactivity, and whether sensitization of the sleep system to stress constitutes an etiological pathway in the development of insomnia disorder in survivors of abuse. Future work should also investigate potential overlapping biological markers of abuse and sleep reactivity.
Support
This study was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (PI: Drake).
Studies indicated that people tend to consider female-perpetrated sexual abuse (FPSA) less serious and damaging than male-perpetrated abuse (MPSA) and the possible roles of gender stereotypes on ...attitudes to minimize FPSA. This study aimed to explore the role of gender stereotypes and sexuality myths on the attitudes toward FPSA among professionals. A secondary aim was to explore the role of training and experience with child sexual abuse (CSA) cases on the attitudes toward FPSA. The sample consisted of Turkish professionals (N = 502), including mental health/social, health, and justice workers. The participants were recruited via a face-to-face online survey. The results of one-way ANOVAs showed that females and mental health/social workers were more likely to consider FPSA as a serious problem and believe the negative impact of abuse. A five-step hierarchical multiple regression analysis demonstrated that the experience with FPSA cases, belief in gender stereotypes, and myths about female sexuality accounted for 21.7% of the variance in the attitudes toward FPSA. Although the level of professional minimization of FPSA is above average, the influential roles of gender stereotypes and sexual myths on the attitudes toward FPSA exist among professionals. Our findings supported the necessity of additional training addressing gender stereotypes and sexual myths. Future studies should also be conducted with different populations and other influential possible factors on the attitudes toward FPSA.
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Despite being a complex phenomenon with potentially significant short- and long-term consequences for all involved including siblings, parents and the family as a whole, sibling sexual abuse (SSA) ...has not received sufficient empirical and clinical attention. Practitioners are often left to cope without appropriate guidance.
This study aimed to compare staff perspectives and experiences of working with sibling sexual abuse cases across two Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) within different countries and different cultural and legal contexts.
Participants were staff members from two Child Advocacy Centers: one in Jerusalem, Israel, and the other in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
This qualitative cross-cultural comparative study analyzes staff experiences of sibling sexual abuse cases based upon 14 focus groups, in Jerusalem (N = 7) and Montgomery County (N = 7).
Findings reveal that both CACs focused on parents, the parents’ negative emotional responses to SSA, and the impossible nature of their predicament. The Montgomery County CAC tended to emphasize the needs of the victim while being attuned to the legal proceedings, whereas the Jerusalem CAC emphasized supportive therapeutic responses for the whole family.
The differences across the two Child Advocacy Centers are related to the different legal and cultural contexts of the two CACs and underscore the need to review what may be the most appropriate policy and practice response to SSA that does not itself cause further harm.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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