No description available.

Despite a growing literature on child sexual abuse, there has been a noticeably slower recognition of men as victims of child sexual abuse. As a consequence, research in this area has remained limited. This lack of recognition may reflect the wider societal reluctance to acknowledge men as victims of sex abuse. Previous research has highlighted that men who have been sexually abused experience difficulties with their social sex role and sexual orientation identities. This research set out to explore men's perceptions of the effects of their childhood sexual abuse, with particular reference to the issues of sexual and gender identity. The aim of this was to explore the experiences of six male survivors. All six participants were interviewed using a semi-structured format and the interviews were analysed using a social constructionist revision of grounded theory. The main findings suggest that the lack of secure attachments with parents and other adult figures resulted in difficulties disclosing the abuse. Furthermore, the concealment and intemalisation of blame for the abuse resulted in later emotional difficulties and confusion in assuming a 'masculine' identity. The findings from this research suggest there are significant clinical implications for the way in which professionals and services address the issue of male child sexual abuse.

No description available.

No description available.

In 2008 three-year-old Tiffany Wright and seven-year-old Khyra Ishaq died of neglect. In 2011 the mummified remains of four-year-old Hamzah Khanwas found in his cot. It is believed he had died some two year previously of neglect. In 2012 four-year-old Daniel Pelka's was starved by his parents and died of neglect. All of the children had at some time been the subjects of safeguarding procedures and investigations1. The practice reviews surrounding the events that led up to their deaths identified flawed communication between and within agencies as a contributing factor. Whilst there has been a number of safeguarding initiatives aimed at alleviating the potential for neglect, there remains an absence of research around how neglect is represented in practice guidance, how safeguarding practitioners conceptualise neglect and how they operationalise the guidance (Parton, 2010; Holland, 2011). A Foucauldian informed thematic analysis was completed and two key themes were identified – ‘Failure and Absence as Risk’ and ‘Experts and Expertise’. These themes highlighted how neglect is represented as only occurring in particular ways with certain families. This allows other families to fall from view and for neglect to be silent. Eleven semi-structured interviews were also undertaken with safeguarding practitioners from across the four key agencies – education, health, police and social care. All practitioners were either working in or had worked in one or more London Boroughs and all were employed in a safeguarding role. This analysis demonstrated a theory-practice nexus that was often contradictory to the practice guidance. Safeguarding practitioners were able to draw on their own subjugated understandings of neglect to position potentially neglectful mothers as in need of protection rather than their children. Practitioners were also able to position themselves within the same discourse of protection that made it possible for them to resist an overtly governed practice and, as a consequence, they could remain silent around the possibility of neglect and prevent any possible punitive action brought by involving other practitioners. This has implications for safeguarding practice. It is suggested that critical reflection and learning could enhance the reliability of emotive intuitive skills and systematic analytic skills if practitioners remain open to the conditions of possibilities of neglect and do not silence others.

In summary this thesis addresses a gap in the literature by examining the role of shame and guilt in the experiences of non- offending parents of children who have been sexually abused. Three studies were undertaken in order to address specific questions in relation to shame and guilt experiences in this population. Firstly, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to examine the lived experience of mothers whose children have been abused. The results revealed the following superordinate themes; 'The Sins of the Mother', 'Impotent Anger' and 'It Changed me as a Parent'. A central concept underlying the themes was that of self-blame. As there is a wealth of research indicating that shame and guilt are two distinct emotions underlying self-blame, Study 2 and 3 examined the level and nature of shame and guilt separately in this population. Study 2 compared levels of shame (state and trait) and guilt (state and trait) across 3 populations of parents; 1)parents of children who have been sexually abused, 2) parents of children who attend child and adolescent mental health services and 3) parents of children in a community GP sample. This study found heightened levels of state shame and guilt in parents of sexually abused children compared to parents of non-abused children. Study 3 then examined predictors and implications of shame and guilt in this population. This study found evidence to suggest that parental guilt in the context of adult anxious attachment styles may be detrimental to a child's social, emotional and behavioural outcomes, ultimately reducing the quality of the parent-child relationship.

Psychotic illness is associated in the literature with abuse in childhood (Read, van Os, Morrison, & Ross, 2005). This literature is reviewed, focussing on the relationship between childhood abuse and delusions. The review looks to the abuse literature to suggest ways that psychological sequelae of abuse might fit with existing theories of delusions to offer a more comprehensive understanding of their origins. It is argued that current psychological models of delusions do not deal adequately with the impact of childhood abuse. A greater appreciation of this relationship is theoretically important, but also has crucial implications for the accuracy of formulations and the appropriateness of treatment.

A pilot study was conducted in response to the paucity of research describing the disclosure of childhood sexual trauma for older adult women. This research sought to provide a tentative base for an understanding of the process of disclosure of childhood sexual abuse for older adult women through a descriptive, client centred approach. In-depth interviews were carried out with ten participants. These included an older adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse, six health and social service practitioners who had received disclosures, and three who strongly suspected their clients had been sexually abused as children. Qualitative analysis of verbatim transcripts of the interviews revealed elements, themes and core categories of factors relating to the process of disclosure for older women. Measures of internal consistency and intercoder reliability of the analysis of the data revealed moderate reliability. The main findings of this study suggest the process of disclosure of childhood sexual abuse for older adult women, when i n receipt of health or social service care, is a function of her context(s) and life experiences. The practitioner with whom she comes into contact was found to represent an essential aspect of the current context and practitioner variables associated with the process of disclosure of childhood sexual abuse for older adult women are described. The findings of this study are presented i n a descriptive format supported by summary tables. A context model of the process of disclosure of for older adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse i s presented i n the discussion. This pilot study appears to be the first research which has focussed specifically on the process of disclosure of childhood sexual abuse for older women. Through the words of an older adult survivor of childhood sexual trauma, and practitioners who have worked with older women who have disclosed sexual abuse during childhood,-a unique contribution to an understanding of what influences older women to begin to tell of their experiences has been possible. The findings of this pilot study are tentatively informative for practitioners and researchers interested i n the needs of survivors of sexual abuse during childhood, and older adult women.

This thesis presented for a Ph. D. by publication traces the progress of my work from 1988-2004. The portfolio and narrative herein developed demonstrates that the publications and their dissemination constitute a contribution to knowledge equivalent to that of a traditional doctorate. This portfolio aims to demonstrate how my original contribution to knowledge has been a cumulative process developed from my on-going integration of practice and academic work and that this has substantially impacted on the understanding of childhood abuse on children and on the adult survivors they become, on practitioners working in the field, and on the implications for service delivery and therapeutic interventions. I consider how practice has fed and focussed my thinking on areas subsequently studied, explored and described in these publications; and that these are fundamentally deeply rooted in and with survivors, but significantly extend to consideration of issues for practitioners. I examine how in order for survivors to be truly heard, their voice has to be communicated effectively and be translated into the development of appropriate responses. I have therefore demonstrated not only the intrinsic necessity of survivors of abuse being core to the whole process, but that educating practitioners is of parallel and equal importance, ensuring and facilitating safe and effective practice. I show how my work has made an effective contribution in these respects. The thesis is presented in three chapters: Chapter 1 describes and overviews the selected publications and contextualises these; explores the research journey; examines the methodological base and rationale, and considers the influence of practice. The twelve cited selected publications (Appendix B) are intertwined within the developing narrative, with particular focus on specific key publications, notably the single authored Surviving Secrets (1992) and the jointly edited Hidden Selves (1999). Throughout, I reflect on my own learning and development academically and clinically, demonstrating the crucial significance of the interrelationship between these two. I refer to my publications to illustrate the progress of my development, how these have drawn on and fed back into practice, and essentially how survivors of abuse have continually remained at the very heart of my work. Chapter 2 is the body of the work containing the cited articles and book chapters, including the most relevant chapters from Women in Therapy and Counselling : Out of the Shadows and Hidden Selves. The four books cited. Surviving Secrets: the experience of abuse for the child the adult and the helper; Hidden Selves: An Exploration of Multiple Personality, and Abuse: Questions and Answers for Counsellors and Therapists, are attached separately. Chapter 3 summarises the results of the published works demonstrating their original contribution to knowledge. As this portfolio extends over 16 years, and considerable work has taken place, for the sake of clarity I trace the impact of this body of work, and the contribution it has made, in respect of the four most significant pathways: education, training, practice, policy and service development. The chapter concludes by reflecting on both strengths and weaknesses of this body of work, including further consideration of the methodology used.

The National Society of Protection and Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) estimate that 1 in 20 children are a victim of sexual abuse (Bentley, O’Hagan, Raff, & Bhatti, 2016). Furthermore, recent figures indicate that there has been a rise in child sexual abuse cases across the UK. Research into perpetrators of child sexual abuse have focused primarily on male offenders. Researchers have explored the cognitive distortions of male offenders and developed theories of sexual offending based on the risk factors associated with this population. More recently, studies have explored the core beliefs and schemas of child offenders to understand the factors that underpin their cognitive distortions. This empirical paper explores the Early Maladaptive Schemas and Implicit Theories of mentally disordered child sex offenders. Historically, societal perspectives of women indicated that females were highly unlikely to perpetrate sexual offences against children. More recent findings suggest that females account for approximately 5% of all sexual offenders across the UK, Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand. However, this statistic varies depending on the data gathering methods employed: self-report studies indicate higher prevalence rates of female perpetrated sexual abuse compared to case report studies. This systematic review explores societal perspectives of female child sex offenders compared to male perpetrators.