A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the
University of Zululand, South Africa, 1997. / Talking about child sexual abuse, hereafter referred to as CSA, makes a lot of people very uncomfortable. It has been defined as "the best kept secret", contributing to the maintenance of silence. For both men and women the prevalence of CSA is high among those seeking help for psychological problems. Theories relating to CSA include investigations into the causes, psychological effects on victims, treatment approaches and preventative strategies.
Research in this area in a South African context is limited and in view of the fact that child abuse has reached staggering proportions in rural areas, it is important to investigate this phenomenon. Furthermore, it is understood that in KwaZulu-Natal traditional healers have multi-dimensional functions in traditional Zulu culture, with eighty percent of Zulu people consulting them before coming to modem healers. Conversely, there are instances where traditional and modern healers co-operate in areas of illness and health.
The aim of this research therefore is exploratory in nature, seeking to understand and advance knowledge of CSA. The level of co-operation between the two systems where CSA is concerned is also investigated, with special contextual reference to South Africa in general and traditional KwaZulu Natal in particular.
This research is a phenomenological explication of traditional healers’ views per se. In addition it indicates that to a limited degree, modern and traditional systems co-operate in the treatment of CSA in rural KwaZulu Natal.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uzulu/oai:uzspace.unizulu.ac.za:10530/915 |
| Date | January 1997 |
| Creators | Schoubben-Heisk, Susan |
| Contributors | Edwards, S.D., Sibaya, P.T |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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