This exploratory research study examines the experiences of women sexually abused in childhood who now practice Buddhist meditation. Through in-depth interviews eight women shared their experiences. Three overriding categories emerged through thematic analysis: how the participants combined meditation practice and healing from childhood trauma, the struggles they experienced with meditation, and the transformations/changes they experienced with the meditation practice. While the complexity of their experience with meditation renders it too simplistic to qualify as positive or negative, the data did reveal that meditation has been experienced as an important and useful component of their healing from childhood sexual abuse. / Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies / Graduate

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No description available.

The purpose of the present research is to investigate whether or not chronically ill children are victims of child abuse more frequently than healthy children. The gender of the child and of the parent will also be examined for differences in the treatment children receive.

This study examined the perception of parental nurturance, the parental identification, and the sex-role orientation of women who had been sexually abused as children. Its purpose was to explore these aspects of a woman's relationship with her parents and the subsequent sex role development, as it relates to the presence or absence of sexual abuse in the relationship. Eighty women averaging 31 years of age volunteered to participate in the study. The women represented three distinct populations with respect to the question of sexual abuse. The first group reported never having been sexually abused (Nonabused). The second group reported having been sexually abused by their father or stepfather (Father Abused). The third group reported having been sexually abused by someone other than their father or stepfather (Other Abused). As predicted, perceived parental nurturance was significantly lower for members of the Father Abused group than for the remaining two groups. In addition, the Nonabused group reported the highest nurturance scores of the three groups. Contrary to expectation, there was no difference between the parent identification patterns of the three groups. Support was provided for the prediction that women who had been sexually abused by their fathers were more likely to express undifferentiated sex roles than androgynous ones. Women not abused by their fathers were more likely to express androgynous sex roles than undifferentiated ones. Limitations of the study and implications of the results were discussed.

Barns trauma är allt annat än enkelt- sekundär traumatisering hos socialarbetare Child trauma is anything but simple- social workers affected by secondary traumatization The purpose of this study is to examine how social workers who work with abused children are affected by secondary trauma, what consequences can be caused bysecondary trauma, and how to prevent social workers from developing secondary trauma. The theoretical framework includes Lazarus & Folkman's (1984) coping theory and the Demand-control-support theory (Karasek & Theorell, 1990). This study is a structured literature review but with method features from systematic literature studies. To explore the questions, the process of finding and screening articles included three databases and a manual search. This process started with 91 articles and was deducted to the final 10 articles that met the criteria and were analyzed through a narrative synthesis. The results showed that the following themes: workload and work experience, work environment and organizational factors, and the conflict between work and family life are affecting the risk for social workers to develop secondary trauma. Consequences that were identified included physical, psychological, and other types of consequences. Preventative actions included self-care, coping strategies, and protective factors. These results were discussed in reference to previous research and theoretical framework. To conclude, social workers who work with abused children are at risk of being affected by secondary trauma. The consequences and preventive actions differ depending on the context and person. Thus, finding a blueprint for avoiding and minimizing the risk of developing secondary traumatization does not exist, instead, it is a process where strategies are continually evolving.  Keywords: Secondary trauma, social workers, abused children, work environment. Nyckelbegrepp: Sekundär traumatisering, socialarbetare, våldsutsatta barn, arbetsmiljö. Stacey Carlsten Wordcount: 15845

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a home-based multicomponent anger management program utilizing self-control procedures for: (a) decreasing frequencies of aversive parent behaviors directed toward target children and (b) altering parents'; angry feelings and subjective urges to physically harm their children in provocation situations. Abusive parents from three at-risk families were trained in the use of anger management skills tb aid them in coping with arousal on cognitive, somatic, and behavioral levels, simultaneously. Results indicated that the training procedures were successful in significantly reducing rates of aversive parent behavior exhibited in the home across all treated family units. The program also appeared successful for decreasing parents' angry urges and their daily rates of "feeling angry" when provoked by their children. These reductions in the parents' rates of aversive behavior and angry feelings following anger control training were maintained at stable levels over a 6 month follow-up period.

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of why social workers believe a male juvenile would commit a sexual abuse act toward another child and how this juvenile should be understood within the social services system and society. Social workers believe interventions are needed once the abuse has occurred.

Text in Afrikaans / Die doel van die navorsingsondersoek na die stiefvader as sek­suele molesteerder van sy stiefdogter is om die probleem te beskryf, te verklaar en aanbevelings te doen aan instansies wat betrokke is by seksuele molestering. Die ondersoek was kwali­tatief van aard en die tegnieke van ongestruktureerde onder­ houdvoering en dokumentere studies is gebruik.By die beskrywing van die probleem is die kenmerke van die stiefgesin waarin seksuele molestering voorkom geidentifiseer. Dit was moeilik om die omvang van seksuele molestering in die stiefgesin te bepaal, weens onvolledige rekordhouding deur in­stansies. Aannames vanuit die literatuur het die ondersoek gerig en sek­suele molestering in die stiefgesin is verklaar aan die hand van die eienskappe van die sisteernbenadering. Navorser het bevind dat seksuele molesteerders swak sosiale verhoudings het en uit disfunksionele gesinne kom. Aanbevelings is gedoen ter voorkoming van seksuele molestering binne stiefgesinne. / The object of this research project, the stepfather as sexual molester of his stepdaughter, is to define and explain the problem, and to make recommendations to organisations concerned with sexual abuse. This exploration was qualitative and techniques of unstructured interviewing and documentary studies were employed. In defining the problem, the characteristics of the stepfamily in which sexual molesting occurs, are identified. It was difficult to determine the extent of sexual molesting in the stepfamily, because of the incomplete records of the organisations. Suppositions from literature directed the research on sexual abuse in the stepfamily, and are explained on the basis of characteristics of the systems approach. Researcher found that sexual molesters have inadequate social relationships and come from dysfunctional families. Recommendations have been made for the prevention of sexual abuse in stepfamilies. / Criminology and Security Science / M.A. (Sosiale Wetenskappe (Kriminologie))

Despite the growing recognition of the prevalence of domestic violence worldwide, there is an increasing number of women reporting abuse, and there are those who have died at the hands of their abusers. Many of these domestic violence situations involve children who grow up carrying the physical and/or emotional scars of abuse into adulthood, which also has negative implications for their social well-being. This study adopts a qualitative approach to analysing emerging themes relating to the experiences of eight adult participants (four men and four women) who have lived in domestically violent homes during their childhood. The study deals with definitions of abuse, the social, physical, emotional, cognitive, behavioural and psychological effects of abuse and identifies the social consequences of growing up in a violent home. With reference to the research interviews, it is the researcher’s finding that if there is violence in the home, children’s socialisation will be impaired. The results of the study support the hypothesis that the socialisation of adults and their ability to form healthy relationships are hindered by being exposed to domestic violence during childhood. In terms of the goals of intervention, the basic principle is that children need to be provided with a safe environment, appropriate discipline and a secure relationship with an attentive caregiver. The ultimate goal of intervention is to prevent further harm and promote recovery. Socio-educational goals include being taught to communicate and settle differences without the use of violence, to promote the development of well-adjusted social beings. / Educational Foundations / M. Ed. (Socio-Education)