M.Ed. (Socio-Education)) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The TAT stories of 38 sexually abused females between the ages of 5 and 18 years and a clinical group of 26 females with no recorded history of abuse were analyzed using the Object Relations and Social Cognitions TAT Scoring System (Westen et al., 1985). Subjects in the sexual abuse group showed significantly lower mean scores on a scale measuring affect-tone of relationship paradigms and on a scale measuring complexity of representations of people. In addition, pathological responses were given significantly more often by sexual abuse victims on the complexity of representations of people scale. Thus, sexually abused children showed more primitive and simple characterizations of people and more negative, punitive affect in their representations. Moreover, these results were independent of age, race, and intelligence. Group differences are discussed in terms of object relations development.

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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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.

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))

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Abstract not available