The purpose of this study is that through qualitative interviews research the #metoo movement’s influence. The research questions involves how the #metoo movement in relation to gender differences and power has affected the subjects of the study to think, feel, and act. The method for the study is that through an inductive approach and qualitative interviews, via strategic selection of ten subjects, find an answer to the objective of the study. The results of the study clearly show that the respondents have a positive attitude of the #MeToo movement, but are shocked about the frequency of sexual violations, which emerged via the media, social media, friends and acquaintances. The study shows the different views between men and women on how they value testimonies. The sexual violations #metoo refer to are by the subjects seen as a matter of a social problem concerning men’s behavior, founded in humanity’s origin. All respondents think that the perpetrators alone are responsible for the assaults, while they deem prevention is everyone’s responsibility. The solution that all respondents unanimously suggested was the introduction of education at an early age in school, about desirable behaviors in interpersonal relationships, and the individual's self-determination over their body. / Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att via en empirisk studie undersöka #metoo-rörelsens påverkan. Frågeställningarna rör hur #metoo-rörelsen, i relation till maktbalansen mellan kvinnor och män, påverkar kvinnors och mäns sätt att tänka, känna och agera. Metoden för studien är att med induktiv ansats och kvalitativ intervju via strategiskt urval av tio respondenter söka besvara syftet. Av resultatet för studien framgår med tydlighet hur intervjupersonerna upplever sig positivt inställda till #metoo-rörelsen och dess budskap, men är chockerade över omfattningen av sexuella övergrepp och trakasserier mot kvinnor vilket framkommit via massmedia, sociala medier, vänner och bekanta. Männen och kvinnorna i studien har olika syn på värdering av vittnesbörd. De sexuella överträdelser som #metoo relaterar till ses av intervjupersonerna som ett beteendemässigt samhällsproblem hos män, med grund i människans ursprung. Alla intervjupersoner anser att ansvaret för övergrepp som skett ligger hos förövaren, medan preventivt motarbetande av problematiken ses som ett samhällsansvar på politikernivå såväl som individuell nivå. Den lösning intervjupersonerna samstämmigt föreslog för att motverka de sociala problematik #metoo relaterar till, var införande av utbildning tidigt i skolan om eftersträvansvärda beteenden i mellanmänskliga relationer, och individens egenbestämmande över sin kropp.

In the past decade there has been growing recognition that a sexual abuse history may manifest during health care examinations. More recently, awareness has been raised about a possible link between a history of sexual abuse and traumatic labour and birth. It is theoretically likely that the intimacy of labour and birth for women with a history of sexual abuse may trigger post-traumatic stress symptomatology. In this cross sectional study, a survey method was used to establish prevalence of sexual abuse and to measure obstetric outcomes, birth experience and birth trauma in a cohort of women who have recently given birth and to test whether there are associations between sexual abuse and birth outcomes. Eighty-five women whose 3½ to 5 year old children attend kindergarten participated. Lifetime sexual abuse was found to be a common experience for study participants. One out of every three women disclosed an experience of sexual abuse in her lifetime. A history of sexual abuse was not associated with adverse labour and birth outcomes; however women with a positive sexual abuse history were more likely to report postnatal depression. A quarter of the women had PTSD symptoms but overall, women had positive birth experiences and felt well supported. Many women are able to overcome traumatic abuse experiences and successfully cope with birth, an event that may potentially replicate the dynamics of sexual abuse. Further research is needed to identify women who may be at high risk for traumatic birth experiences. Undertaking screening for sexual abuse in the antenatal period in a safe environment may provide reassurance for women and enable identification of those women at high risk for abuse related traumatic birth experiences.

The purpose of this study is to explore gender differences in adult perceptions of sexual abuse encounters between an adult male and children of both genders and of various ages. Subjects were four hundred and fifty three students from a northwestern university. They were recruited from a lower-level human development course and from introductory courses in the arts and humanities department. One hundred and seventy-nine males and 274 females participated in the study. Participants were randomly given one of four vignettes that contained a scenario describing an "ambiguous" sexual encounter between a neighbor man and a child. The age of the child (5 or 13) and the child's gender differed between the scenarios. Results showed that female respondents were more likely than their male counterparts to perceive that the encounter was serious in nature (p=.022) and to expect the child in the scenario to be negatively impacted by the encounter (p=.001). Other results indicated that female respondents perceived the encounter with the older child, regardless of the child's gender, as more serious in nature (p=.008) and would have more negative outcomes (p=.002) than the encounter with the younger child. Male respondents also perceived that the encounter with the older child would have more negative outcomes for the child (p=.003) than the encounter with the younger child. Gender of child in the scenario was not predictive of perceived seriousness of the encounter nor of the negative impact of the encounter for either male or female respondents. Conclusions and implications are discussed. / Graduation date: 1998

School administrators are required by law to report suspected cases of child abuse. They create serious legal and moral consequences for their school districts when they fail to report suspicions of child abuse occurring in the school setting. Studies consistently find that child sexual abuse is under-reported and that allegations of sexual abuse by school personnel are increasing. School administrators may not be responding effectively to the abuse that does occur in schools because they have not been trained to recognize indicators of abuse nor to effectively investigate allegations of abuse. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether specially designed training would significantly improve school administrators' performance on child sexual abuse case simulations. Subjects were from a convenience sample of 40 practicing administrators from five school districts in Yamhill County, Oregon. A one-group pretest-intervention-post-test (A-B-A) design was used, and data were collected using three instruments: (1) an administrator questionnaire developed through a Delphi Process, (2) a pre-evaluation case simulation, and (3) a post-evaluation case simulation. The t test of alpha was used to examine the correlated means and determine the significance in changes in performance between the pre- and post-test results. A standard level of significance (p<.05) was employed throughout the study. This study confirms that the administrators in this sample were lacking in knowledge in the six areas addressed by the training modules and that the gains they made were significant in each of the six training areas and on the overall post-test. No significant differences were found among the subjects on the basis of gender, age, experience level, and longevity in their current positions. This study concludes that school administrators may lack sufficient knowledge about child sexual abuse to adequately protect children in their schools. It also suggests that specially designed training sessions will increase reporting and reduce the number of child sexual abuse cases occurring in public schools. Districts may better fulfill their moral and legal obligations to protect children and reduce their legal costs and exposure to liability by providing specialized training in child sexual abuse for administrators. / Graduation date: 1997

Evidence suggests that female victims of sexual abuse are revictimized more often than non-victimized females, placing them at risk for the negative consequences, including increased psychopathology, medical issues and interpersonal difficulties. Research is needed to protect childhood sexual abuse survivors from the risk of further sexual assault. The present study examines if victim status and perception of social costs inhibit heterosexual females’ perception of risk and behavioral response. Results indicate that victim status affects the perception of risk and that sexually abused women in a high social cost condition use less assertive behavioral responses. Implications of these findings for sexual assault prevention and interventions are discussed.

This study was motivated by encounters with persons with repeated suicidality in clinical psychiatry. Their suicide attempts are frequently regarded as manipulative, and the patients are often labelled a “borderline personality disorder”. They cause frustration and are sometimes met with repellent attitudes among clinicians, but clinical experience as well as research shows that their personal history regularly includes severe childhood trauma and often childhood sexual abuse. The first part of the study was undertaken to investigate the frequency of borderline personality disorder among consecutive persons admitted to hospital after a suicide attempt, the experience of adverse life events among them and the motives for the act. The concept and definition of parasuicide was used as inclusion criterion. During the 10 months of the study 81% of all parasuicide inpatients gave their consent to partake, altogether 64 patients, 41 women and 23 men. Standardized instruments were used for assessment of personality disorders, and self-report questionnaires were used to investigate motives and adverse life events. Seven years later, follow-up interviews were conducted with 51 of these persons, 32 women and 19 men. This second part of the study used qualitative methods in the form of thematic open-ended interviews to allow for the patients’ own descriptions of their suicidality and mental health in the years following the suicide attempt. The role of psychiatry in this process was one of the themes in the interview. Use of psychiatric treatment and support during the follow-up period was investigated through a review of the medical charts recorded at the psychiatric clinic. The quantitative part of the study showed that among the parasuicide patients there was a considerable overrepresentation of borderline personality disorder, and that the frequency of adverse life events was much higher in this subgroup. The motives for the parasuicide did not differ between those with borderline personality disorder and the others. Childhood sexual abuse could be identified as the most important factor influencing suicidality and extent of psychiatric treatment after the index parasuicide. The patients’ own descriptions in the follow-up interview were related to the theoretical perspectives of symbolic interactionism, therapeutic alliance, perception of difference, empowerment and the concept of modernity. In the narratives a picture emerges of a psychiatric health care that carries the potential to offer therapeutic relationships, but often fails in its aims. In therapeutic alliances built on personal relationships, characterized by close and frequent encounters and a focus not only the weaknesses but also the strengths of the patient, there was room for personal development. A reliance on therapeutic method instead of a therapeutic alliance with the patient and a lack of a collaborative perspective in therapeutic work set definite hindrances for the therapeutic process, according to the views of the patients. Regardless of the severity of the life experiences and personality dimensions that had lead to the parasuicide, the core prerequisite for subsequent stabilisation was an orientation towards significant others that saw and supported the potential for change and helped redefine the situation. These significant others were sometimes found in the psychiatric health care services, but were mainly found outside of psychiatry. The conclusions of the study are that there is a close correlation between repeated suicidality, borderline personality disorder, female gender and adverse events such as childhood sexual abuse, and that the repeated suicidality is better explained by adverse events such as childhood sexual abuse than by personality disorder. This background seriously challenges repellent attitudes towards these patients. The narratives of the patients pose definite challenges for the therapeutic community to embrace new ways to find working therapeutic alliances after a parasuicide, possibly based around perspectives of empowerment and mutuality. Identifying the processes that helps the person find “the difference that makes a difference” should be in focus of future psychiatric research and at the heart of psychiatric support and treatment after parasuicide, to enable the patients to find their own strengths and resources and in this way be able to leave it all behind.

Introduction: Sexual abuse is more common than statistics show; the number of unrecorded cases is high. Sexual abuse is hard to deal with, it is associated with taboo and shame and at the same time it is a trauma to the one who has been abused which will effect the rest of that persons life. Aim: The aim of this literature review is to describe men and women’s experiences of being sexually abused. Method: A literature review, inspired by Friberg (2006), was conducted. Nine studies with a qualitative approach has been collected and analysed. The findings have been discussed through Eriksson’s theories of pain and suffering. Findings: The experience of being sexually abused has been described by the victims in terms of feeling, telling, and recovering. The feelings were described as feelings of betrayal, shame, self- blame, insecurity, worthlessness and stigmatization, and a lot of the participants took action to escape feelings. Telling others about the abuse was dependent on the fact that they were acknowledged and reassured. The experience of recovery has been presented with the subthemes; making a choice, making sense of what happened to them, spirituality, changing the self-image, and also obstacles in recovery was identified. Discussion: To deepen the understanding of the experiences of sexual abuse, they can be related to Eriksson’s theory of suffering and the act of suffering, where the first step is to acknowledge and confirm the suffering. The suffering person needs to experience the pain, to be in it and suffer, and later be able to integrate the pain into a context, where it somehow makes sense. / Bakgrund: Sexuella övergrepp förekommer i högre utsträckning än vad statistiken visar; mörkertalet är stort. Sexuella övergrepp är svårt att handskas med, det är förenat med tabu och skam samtidigt som det är ett trauma för den utsatta som påverkar denne resten av livet. Syfte: Syftet med denna litteraturöversikt är att beskriva människors upplevelser av att ha blivit utsatta för sexuella övergrepp. Metod: En litteraturöversikt, inspirerad av Friberg (2006) har utförts. Nio kvalitativa studier har insamlats och analyserats. Fynden i resultatet har sedan diskuterats utifrån Erikssons teorier om lidande. Resultat: Upplevelsen av att ha blivit utsatt för sexuella övergrepp har beskrivits av offren i termer av; att känna, att berätta och att återhämta sig. Vanligt förekommande känslor var svek, skuld, skam, otrygghet, värdelöshet, stigmatisering, och många försökte på olika sätt att slippa känna. Att berätta om övergreppen var för de flesta utsatta avhängande på att de blev sedda och bekräftade av andra människor. Upplevelsen av återhämtning beskrevs i termer av; att göra ett val, att finna mening och sammanhang, andlighet, ändra sin självbild och hinder för återhämtning. Diskussion: Att bli utsatt för sexuella övergrepp kan förstås utifrån Erikssons teori om människans bearbetning av lidande som ett lidandets drama; där det är av stor vikt att lidandet erkänns och bekräftas, att man som utsatt får lida ut och vara i lidandet, och integrera det i en ny helhet där lidandet tillägnats mening.

Evidence suggests that female victims of sexual abuse are revictimized more often than non-victimized females, placing them at risk for the negative consequences, including increased psychopathology, medical issues and interpersonal difficulties. Research is needed to protect childhood sexual abuse survivors from the risk of further sexual assault. The present study examines if victim status and perception of social costs inhibit heterosexual females’ perception of risk and behavioral response. Results indicate that victim status affects the perception of risk and that sexually abused women in a high social cost condition use less assertive behavioral responses. Implications of these findings for sexual assault prevention and interventions are discussed.

Thesis (DClinPsychol)--Salomons Centre. BLDSC no. DXN049061.

Thesis (B.A.)--Haverford College, Dept. of Religion, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.