Although there is an increasing amount of literature on child sexual abuse, there is a dearth of information on the experiences of non-offending fathers of sexually abused children. Uncovering the issues that these fathers encounter after learning about the abuse of their children is essential in designing a therapeutic framework to help these men and their families. This qualitative study explored the experiences of four non-offending fathers of sexually abused children. Each subject was interviewed on video tape for approximately one hour using a general interview guide. The results were categorized into four areas: initial reaction to disclosure, changes in relationships, self issues, the recovery process. Two general themes emerged from these categories: disruption in the father's role as protector and the process of regaining a sense of normalcy. These findings point to the importance of including non-offending fathers in the treatment plans of counselling agencies working with victims of child sexual abuse. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

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The developmental impact of the family system on a child varies according to the functional status of the family. Harter, Pamela, and Neimeyer (1988) found that sexually abused children reported perceptions of significantly less cohesion and adaptability than nonabused children within their families of origin.

This study attempted to evaluate the effects of the group treatment component of the Santa Clara County Child Sexual Abuse Treatment Program on the self-concepts of child and adolescent victims of intrafamilial sexual abuse. The Piers-Harris self-concept inventory was used to measure self-concept. The four groups of participants included 42 girls, (a) 10 who had been abused but had not received treatment, (b) 9 who had received 15 weeks of treatment, (c) 9 who had received 1-2 years of treatment, and (d) 14 in a non-abused comparison group. Results indicated that there was a significant difference between the abused, non-treated group and the comparison group in self-concept, but that there were no reliable differences between the treated and the non-treated abused groups. Problems in determining the actual nature of the treatment delivered, the possibility of pre-existing differences between the groups, and small sample sizes make the interpretation of these results difficult, but there is at least some indication that the Santa Clara program does not substantially influence self-concept as represented by the Piers-Harris.

Object representations of sexually abused girls were compared to those of a clinical control group with no history of maltreatment. In addition, girls subjected to sexual abuse by itself were compared with girls who were sexually abused in conjunction with physical abuse and/or neglect (i.e., multiply abused). TAT stories were analyzed using the Object Relations and Social Cognition Scale which assesses four dimensions of object relations. It was hypothesized that sexually abused children would manifest more general and highly pathognomic impairment than controls along four dimensions of object relations. It was also hypothesized that multiple abuse would be associated with more general and highly pathognomic impairment in object relations than sexual abuse by itself.

Using the Defense Mechanism Manual (Cramer, 1991), Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) stories of 29 sexually abused female subjects and 28 non-abused female clinical control subjects were rated for the frequency of use of denial, projection, and identification.

No description available.

This study investigates the level of social competency and presence of behavioral problems associated with young sexually abused children ages 4 to 8, as compared to those among a comparable sample of nonabused young children. Thirty-two parents or guardians, 16 in each group, completed the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist for each child. Characteristics of the abuse were addressed on an additional questionnaire. Data was collected on 12 female and 4 male children in each group. The results indicated that the amount and severity of behavior problems was greater and social competency levels were lower among the sexually abused children than that of the nonabused sample. However, sexually abused children were perceived to exhibit significantly higher levels of each problem than nonabused children with the exception of the problem identified as somatic complaints. Nonsignificant results were found when comparisons were made of the behavior problem level and characteristics of the abuse. These findings are consistent with previous research and further support the existence of problem behaviors among young sexually abused children. Suggestions for future research in this area and the clinical utility of the current findings are discussed.

Children have been shown to respond differently to the hurt that they suffer at the hands of others. Some of these responses involve internalised behaviours (i.e., repression of feelings, bodily symptoms, etc.); whilst others hurt manifest as externalised behaviours, such as physical attacks on others. These may include sexualised behaviours. The latter is particularly common amongst (but not restricted to) children who have been sexually abused (The American Psychological Association, 2001). For the purposes of this study a distinction is made between developmentally appropriate sexual behaviour and non normative sexualised behaviour which evoke complaints from and discomfort in those involved in the behaviour. The manifestation of these sexualised behaviours is especially pronounced amongst children in institutional care; and hence, it calls for constructive and effective management by the child care workers who are primarily responsible for their safe care and behaviour modification whilst in the institution. This qualitative study – with an exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design – served to explore how the child care workers’ effective management of such behaviours could be enhanced, so that the emotional wellbeing of both the “offender” and the “perpetrator” of this behaviour can be promoted. A non-probability purposive sampling technique was employed to recruit research participants from three different child and youth care centres in Port Elizabeth. A total number of 10 research participants were involved and data was collected up to the point of data saturation. Thematic content analysis was utilised for the analysis of the data and the necessary strategies were employed to enhance the trustworthiness of the data and to meet all the ethical requirements of the study. The main findings alert to the key requirements of Child and Youth Care Workers; it confirms the occurrence of sexualised behaviours; the urgent need for a consistent approach to the management of such behaviours; and for enhanced team work between the helping professionals in the team. The value of the study is embedded in the contributions it can make to practical interventions for children in institutional care, and to the sparse body of knowledge in this area.