Social Work Commons^™

Bridging The Gap: Understanding Non-Offending Parental Responses To Their Children's Sexual Abuse., Jennifer Latreill, Psy.D.

Dissertations

The parental response to children's disclosure of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is the most critical and important factor regarding the child's post trauma trajectory and overall trauma resolution. Understanding parental responses and the factors that prompt acceptance versus disbelief among the non-offending parent (NOP) is vital to children's success following disclosure given the weight of the NOPs response and its impact on long-term consequences of CSA. This literature review provides a comprehensive summary of what may deter the NOP from recognizing intrafamilial sexual abuse, factors that may contribute to the NOPs disbelief following disclosure, and possible clinical implications of such …

Promoting Resilience And Preventing Sexual Offenses In Survivors Of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Systematic Review, Cassie Degraw

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Maltreatment is often experienced in adverse environments during childhood. Children who survive maltreatment demonstrate protective and risk factors that impact the developmental pathway to lifelong outcomes. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify the factors that impact the pathway between surviving childhood sexual abuse and committing a sexual offense. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse may possess protective factors that are important towards their ability to function and have positive lifelong outcomes. For survivors of childhood sexual abuse, it is important to identify the protective factors essential to positive lifelong outcomes and resilience. Educating professionals on important protective …

Understanding The Impact Of Childhood Sexual Abuse On Men’S Risk Behavior: Protocol For A Mixed-Methods Study, Martin J. Downing Jr., Dominique Brown, Jeffrey Steen, Ellen Benoit

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) remains a critical public health issue among black and Latino men who have sex with men (MSM), as it is associated with multiple negative outcomes including substance misuse, poor mental health, revictimization, and high-risk sexual behavior. Most CSA research with MSM relies on quantitative assessment that often precludes consideration of cultural variations in how formative sexual experiences are understood and is based on inconsistent or overly restrictive definitions of abuse, and therefore may fail to detect certain abusive experiences (eg, those involving female perpetrators), which can have harmful health consequences if they remain unrecognized. …

Cumulative Sexual Victimization And Mental Health Outcomes Among Incarcerated Women, Jennifer Hartsfield, Susan F. Sharp, Sonya Conner

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This research explores the relationship between three different types of self-reported sexual victimization and subsequent mental health problems in a sample of incarcerated women. Previous literature establishes a link between victimization histories and poor mental health outcomes. This study focuses on sexual victimization experienced as a child, as an adolescent and as an adult, both individually and cumulatively, in relation to entering prison with a mental health diagnosis as well as reporting current depressive symptoms while incarcerated. Each type of victimization is significantly related to both prior mental health diagnosis and current depression in prison. Furthermore, there is an additive …

Emdr: Promising Treatment For Co-Occurring Eating Disorders And Childhood Sexual Abuse, Victoria L. Cameron

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to explore the use of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) with clients who have an eating disorder co-occurring with a history of childhood sexual abuse. Qualitative interviews were conducted with nine mental health clinicians who work primarily in the outpatient setting using EMDR with their clients. These audio-recorded interviews took place over a period of three weeks and the data were analyzed using grounded theory methodology. The most common themes that emerged were client-therapist relationship, stabilization of eating disorder, chronology of treatment, grounding, and dissociation. Given the high co-occurrence of childhood sexual …

Childhood Sexual Abuse And Therapy With The Perpetrator, Patricia K. Thurmer

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Victims of childhood sexual abuse can develop mental illness or maladaptive behaviors due to the traumatization. Although individual, group, and family psychotherapy are offered to victims of intrafamilial sexual abuse, few approaches include sessions where rebuilding a relationship between the perpetrator and the victim is emphasized. Given the importance of approaches to include the perpetrator, the focus of this qualitative research is to gain an understanding of how a clinician can help intrafamilial child sexual abuse victims rebuild and heal the relationship with their perpetrators. Individual, family, and group therapy are ways of delivering therapeutic services. Within these sessions, clinicians …

Relationship Between Childhood Sexual Abuse, Weight, And Attitudes Toward Obesity In Lesbians, Amy L. Wright

LSU Master's Theses

In many professional practice settings, it is very likely that social workers will work with female clients who identify as lesbian or bisexual. These sexual minority females are more likely to be overweight or obese, have a history of childhood sexual abuse, and have more positive attitudes toward overweight and obesity than heterosexual women. In this study, the author sought to identify the relationship between childhood sexual abuse, obesity, (specifically, body mass index [BMI]), and attitudes toward obesity among lesbian and bisexual women. Eighty-five sexual minority females completed a survey. Childhood sexual abuse was found to be positively correlated with …

Childhood Sexual Abuse And Obesity In Adult Women: Exploring The Mitigating Mechanisms, Emily Yokiel

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

A substantial amount of research has been dedicated to investigating the potential relationship between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and subsequent obesity in adulthood among female survivors. While a significant body of literature supports this association, identifying prospective causes, confounding factors, or mitigating elements, has not been fully solidified and requires further research. Qualitative interviews with clinicians working within an eating disorder treatment center were conducted to gather data regarding professional opinions of such a relationship. Utilizing content analysis, the data was coded and materializing themes identified. Significant similarities between existing literature and the present research findings emerged, including recognition of …

Using The Strengths Perspective In The Social Work Interview With Young Adults Who Have Experienced Childhood Sexual Abuse, Brian L. Kelly Phd, Trevor G. Gates Phd

Brian L.Kelly

The Relationship Among Adult Attachment Styles, Shame, Dissociation, And Abuse Characteristics In Women Survivors Of Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse Perpetrated By A Parental-Figure, Grace H. Tomas-Tolentino

Dissertations

The consequences of intrafamilial child sexual abuse (CSA) often evolve beyond the termination of abuse and pervade into adulthood, posing complex and enduring consequences for survivors (Courtois, 1999; Briere, 1992; Herman, 1981, 1991; van der Kolk & Kadish, 1987; Chu & Dill, 1990). The concepts of attachment, shame, and dissociation- in the context of childhood sexual abuse-are significant areas of study when working with adult survivors. The present study included 49 women with a history of childhood sexual abuse perpetrated by a parental-figure. The purpose of the study was to identify the relationships among adult attachment styles, shame, dissociation, and …