published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health

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This thesis examines the experiences of mothers whose children have been sexually abused by a male adult family member. It explores the relationships between the effect of biographical and social factors on mothers' perceptions and their experiences on learning of their children's sexual abuse. It also includes interrelated aims: a)to identify implications from the research for the development and extension of qualitative research methodology, and b)to develop and extend the understanding of the mothers' role in the sexually abusive situation. The mothers' perspectives and how they experienced the phenomenon of the sexual abuse of their child are central to the study. Historically the mother has been marginal to empirically based research while central to explanations regarding the causes and responsibility for the sexually abusive situation. Increasingly as the extent of sexual abuse as a social problem has been realised, the mother's role has been seen as central in the support of her children after the disclosure. In the literature, however, the lack of empirical research relating to the mother's experiences results in adherence to general prescriptive knowledges about motherhood. The primacy of the mothers' narratives in this study is therefore emphasised. Thirty mothers participated in the study and were a self selecting sample. They were contacted through social workers, self referral through other participants, and a private agency. The study combined quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative approaches allowed the collection of socio-economic, demographic data and characteristics of the sexually abusive situation. This data was used to compare findings within and between cases and between this study and others reported in the literature. The interview guide was used as a prompt sheet rather than a structure of the interview process. The interview data contained the mothers' perceptions of their life experiences and how these affected their responses and reactions to events and relationships before and after disclosure of the abuse. This study, however, differed from much of the previous research in using qualitative approaches and in encouraging mothers to discuss what was of importance to them. The focus throughout the study was on the mothers' subjective realities and how they changed over time, as they attempted to make sense of their role in the establishment and maintenance of the abusive situation. The mothers were able to report their experiences in their own way, and were able to make their own links between ideas and perceptions which were not structured by the research process. The thirty transcripts were sorted and analysed using NUD*IST, a computer software programme for manageing non numerical, unstructured data. From the mothers' narratives four regularities and processes were noted: childhood socialisation in the family of origin, courtship and marriage, relationship to the abuser, and the disclosure of the abuse. Within each of these regularities and processes, similarities and differences were identified in relation to a number of themes and sub themes as the mothers reconstructed their experiences. The study focuses on how they experienced: the disclosure process; their relationship to the abuser, the child and perception of the abuser/child relationship; and who caused and was responsible for the perpetration of the abuse. The mothers' life experiences within different family and social contexts impacted on them in various ways. All the mothers contended, however, that for the abuser to sexually abuse the child in secret required not only the manipulation of the child but also the manipulation of others in the family and social environment. The primacy given to the mothers' experiences gives an alternative perspective to the understanding of the environments and processes involved in the maintenance and establishment of the sexually abusive situation and the mothers' role. Their accounts are local, contextualised and grounded in their life experiences. Their experiences are used as a basis for a critical analysis of family systems theory. A tentative theoretical development has also been presented using concepts from chaos theory and Foucault in a heuristic way. This study has implications for workers in the areas of investigation and therapeutic intervention. The mothers' perspectives challenge views presented in the literature about the culpability or powerlessness of the mother. Their experiences of the sexually abusive environment and processes involved, give insight into the manipulative and controlling strategies of the abusers. While the findings have limited generalisability, the methodological approach, analytical processes and extension of the theoretical understanding could be applied to other areas of social science research.

Thesis, PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (B.A.)--Haverford College, Dept. of Sociology, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Eastern Illinois University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-48).

D.Litt et.Phil. / Parents, educators, police officers, social workers, psychologists, the courts and child and youth care workers have raised important concerns about the increase of child-on-child sexual abuse among children younger than 12 years and their limited understanding of this phenomenon. New policy and legislation places the emphasis on assessment and intervention that takes account of the rights of children in conflict with the law including victims and the need for the diversion of children from the criminal justice system. The aim and objectives of the study are to explore the nature of child-on-child sexual abuse and their social and familial contexts with the view to making recommendations to inform assessment and intervention for children in conflict with the law. A descriptive and exploratory research design was employed. A mixed methods research design consisting of a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were used. A non-probability, purposive sampling method was used for both the quantitative and qualitative part of the study based on predetermined selection criteria. In the quantitative component of the study, a questionnaire was administered to 50 boys between 6 and 12 years and to their mothers who were referred to The Teddy Bear Clinic for treatment for sexual acting out behaviours. The qualitative study consisted of a detailed analysis of six case files. The information gathered from the document study was over a longer period of time and consisted of more detailed information. O’Brien and Bera’s (1986) classification of young sex offenders guided the social worker’s assessment of the respondents who were in turn classified according to the levels of risk they presented to society. The findings confirm that this phenomenon exists with the youngest perpetrators in this study being six years old (2%). The majority of the respondents (66%) were 12 years of age and were engaged in more severe or intrusive sexualised behaviour such as attempted rape and rape (48%) and less severe behaviour such as touching of genitals (16%). About 60% of the boys were in the senior primary school. Thus this age group which marks the pubescent phase of development should be considered to be a high risk group to child sexual offending.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Community Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2001. / Research in the area of child sexual abuse is growing rapidly. A potpourri of literature in this field lacks one very important aspect- the workings of power in relation to abuse. The way in which power is exercised over people, is the most insidious ingredient of distress which sadly affects normal development This research is aimed at studying this core variable in the lives of victims of child sexual abuse. Its special focus is investigating the effect of sexual abuse from the perspective of the 'terrain of power' in which the victims are located. This is achieved by the use of a power-mapping methodology in a group of five victims. With such information a model of helping is displayed which seeks to directly increase power and resources to them. Posttesting in power map form presents the therapeutic gains of this method. Some evaluations of the study and recommendations are drawn from the implications of this thesis.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) affects children and their families daily in South Africa. Non-offending caregivers play an important role in their children’s recovery following CSA but there are no interventions to assist caregivers to overcome their emotional reaction to CSA disclosure and to assist them to help children their children recover. In this study, the process of developing a structured support group programme for non-offending caregivers in South Africa is discussed and its value for caregivers assessed. The programme has been developed to fit the needs of non-offending caregivers in South Africa, using an action research approach. The study utilised a mixed-method design, with a one-group pre-test, post-test design to assess the outcome of the psychoeducational support group program. The qualitative data from the psychoeducational support group sessions were used in conjunction with the pre-and post-assessment of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS), assessing levels of emotional distress, and the Parenting Stress Index (PSI-4-SF). The support group members were recruited for the study from Teddy Bear Clinic (TBC) and (WMACA) Kidz Clinic. Non-offending caregivers were invited to take part in the psychoeducational support group programme. Over five months, 60 non-offending caregivers were recruited for the study, 13 of whom were screened for the support group intervention and eight agreed to participate in the psychoeducational support group intervention. Two support groups met for eight sessions. Following the implementation of the program, the results from the pre- and post-intervention assessment were analysed and compared, in order to statistically determine the impact of the structured support group programme. Participants’ qualitative experiences during the support group session and feedback regarding their perceived personal benefits from their involvement was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of the research indicate that the caregivers experienced significantly less anxiety (p < 0.05), and some improvements in their depression levels (p = 0.58) as measured by the HADS. Of the seven non-offending caregivers six expressed less anxiety and five experiences less depression symptoms after the intervention. Parenting stress did not decrease significantly for the group as a whole, although the total stress (TS) scale score indicated that five of the seven group members experienced less parenting stress after the intervention. From the results of the study, it can be concluded that the support group had value to address the non-offending caregiver’s level of anxiety and depression, as well as to relieve parental stress for some participants. The qualitative results also showed that members learned some parenting skills on how to manage their own and their children’s emotional reaction to CSA. It was found that members who actively participated and attended all the sessions benefitted most. This intervention can fill the gap in treating non-offending caregivers following the disclosure of CSA. It can be implemented in Child abuse treatment centres to assist caregivers to help their children overcome the impact of CSA. / Dissertation (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Psychology / MA (Counselling Psychology) / Unrestricted

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