Metamorphose: Healing Childhood Sexual Abuse Through Journaling
Sample Orders for Protection. Protocols for Victim Support and Assistance. Prevalence of Trafficking in Women.
- No Glass Allowed.
- El Fin de la Argentina (Spanish Edition).
- The Lost Hero (Book I of The Heaven Saga).
- HUNGARY Country Studies: A brief, comprehensive study of Hungary.
Causes and Contributing Factors. Trafficking Violates Women's Human Rights. The Evolution of the Definition of Trafficking. Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation. Debt Bondage and Trafficking in Women. Distinguishing Trafficking from Migration. Other Forms of Trafficking. Demand for Women's Sexual Services. Domestic Violence as a Cause of Trafficking in Women.
Conflict Zones and Militarization. Government Policies and Practices. Health Consequences of Trafficking. Legal Consequences of Trafficking. Global Consequences of Trafficking. Protection, Support and Assistance of Victims.
Literature
Prevention of Trafficking in Women. Education and Awareness Raising. Training Programs and Technical Cooperation. UN Human Trafficking Law. Trafficking and Women's Human Rights. The Trafficking Protocol and Recent Initiatives. UN Peacekeeping Missions and Trafficking.
Healing from Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Theoretical Model
Theories of Sexual Harassment. Prevalence of Sexual Harassment. Effects of Sexual Harassment. Sexual Harassment is Conduct that is Unwelcome or Unwanted. Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment. Sexual Harassment and the Subordination of Women. Sexual Harassment is an Affront to Dignity. Perpetuation of Gender Stereotypes.
Economic Power Over Women. Prevention Mechanisms, Policies and Strategies. Prevention of Sexual Harassment. A Statement of Policy. Designated Complaints Committee or Officer. Informal Complaint or Advice Mechanisms. Measures to Correct the Effects of Sexual Harassment.
Using the Trade Union. Suggestions for the Trade Union. Resistance from the Trade Union. List of Law and Policy Documents. Drafting Laws on Sexual Harassment. European Union Treaty Charter Obligations. EU Council and Parliamentary Resolutions. Approaches to and Remedies under Sexual Harassment Law. Guidelines for Drafting Sexual Harassment Laws.
Domestic Legal Framework Around the World. Prevalence of Sexual Assault. Forms of Sexual Assault. Consequences of Sexual Assault. Consent, Force and Coercion. Types of Sexual Contact. Theories of Sexual Assault. Sexual Assault and Vulnerable Populations. Sexual Assault and Male Dominance. Sexual Assault and Cultural Norms. Sexual Assault and the Media. Biological Theories of Sexual Assault. Sexual Assault Against Refugees. Sexual Assault During Armed Conflict. Date and Acquaintance Sexual Assault.
Sexual Assault in the Military. Prevalence of Street Harassment and its Consequences. Law and Policy on Street Harassment. International Prevalence of Sexual Assault in the Military. Health Consequences of Sexual Assault. Victim Reactions to Sexual Assault. Consequences of Sexual Assault on the Community. Sexual Assault Advocacy Programs. Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners. Sexual Assault Response Teams. Health Care Provider Responses. National Sexual Assault Laws. Drafting Laws on Sexual Assault. Criminal Law and Procedure. Evidentiary Issues and Forensic Medical Institutes.
Law Enforcement and Prosecutions. Ad Hoc International Tribunals. Laws in the United States. Other Approaches to Sexual Assault Law. Defining the Prohibited Contact. Force and Resistance Requirements. Consent and Mens Rea. Other Law Reform Efforts. Legal Protection and Support for Victims. Crimes Committed in the Name of "Honor". Forced and Child Marriage.
Violence Against the Girl Child. Women and Armed Conflict. Causes and Risk Factors. Governmental and Non-Governmental Response. National Plan of Action. Forced Suicides and Decriminalization of Adultery. Governmental and Nongovernmental Response. Drafting Laws on Dowry-Related Violence. Coordinated Community Response and Implementation. Criminal Justice System Response. Treatment or Diversion Programs for Perpetrators.
Todos os Meetups Trauma Emocional e TEPT
Civil Remedies on Dowry-Related Violence. Sources of International Law and Regional Treaties. State Agencies Establishing Aid Centers. Lethality or Risk Assessments. Dowry Deaths, Aiding and Abetting Suicide. Criminal Sanctions and Sentencing Provisions. Prompt Complaint and Evidence. Felony Strangulation and Other Provisions. More Information on Orders for Protection. Family Law and Divorce. Civil Lawsuits for Damages and Compensation. Ensure Women's Property and Inheritance Rights. Post-Hearing Orders for Protection.
Custody, Visitation and Residence of Child. Governmental and Non-governmental Response. Drafting Laws on Female Genital Mutilation. Victims' Rights and Responding to Needs. State Roles and Responsibilities. National Plan and Strategy. Drafting the Legislative Preamble. Translation, Statistics, and Funding. Time Frame for Enforcement and Amendments. Removal of Conflicting Provisions. Clear Definition of Crime and Liability. Criminalization of Aiding and Abetting. Applying for an Order for Protection.
Copy of Order to Law Enforcement. Restitution and Compensation for Survivors. Regulations and Administrative Provisions. Regional, National, and International Cooperation Protocols. International and Domestic Law and Policy. Drafting Legislation on Forced and Child Marriage. Forced and Child Marriage Prevention.
Victims' Rights and Responding to Victims' Needs. Sources of International Law. Defining and Establishing Consent. Establishing a Minimum Age for Consent. Defining Other Forms of Forced Marriage: Wife Inheritance, Levirate and Sororate Marriages. Forced and Child Marriage as Settlement. Criminalization of Marital Rape. Long-term Support for Victims. Annulment of a Forced Marriage and Divorce. Parental Intervention and Travel Restrictions. Role of other Helping Professions and Stakeholders.
Prevention of Forced and Child Marriages. Government and NGO Response. Drafting Laws on Harmful Practices. Stoning or Flogging of Women. Reforming Existing Law and Culture. Criminalization of Harmful Practices. Civil, Protective and Asylum Laws. Guidelines for Specific Practices.
Governmental and NGO Response. Drafting Laws on Maltreatment of Widows. Definitions and Forms of Maltreatment of Widows. Other Provisions Related to Maltreatment of Widows. Defining Discrimination against Women. Definition of Criminal Sexual Assault. Definition of Domestic Violence. Definition of Forced Marriage. I needed to ask for direction, why has my life been like this?
Some participants asserted their right to conduct their lives in ways they saw fit and, in some instances, to seek justice from those who hurt them. These participants had reached the stage of laying claim to one's life referred to as the laying claim stage. They embraced the belief that overcoming the effects of the CSA rendered them capable of determining the course of their lives and making a difference in the world. They had moved through the first three stages of healing and felt empowered to live healthy and fulfilled lives. Two factors enabled participants to move from tackling to laying claim.
One was the experience of a critical life event that served as a major life turning point.
Healing from Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Theoretical Model
The events were either very positive, such as a spiritual awakening or a major life accomplishment, or very negative, such as a devastating loss or a particularly severe episode of violence. Either way, such events spurred participants to make drastic changes in their lives. In addition, they made a commitment to transcend the CSA rather than just recover from it. They were determined to ensure that something good came from the CSA - either for themselves or for others. As participants laid claim to their lives, they embraced a life pattern that they experienced as empowered.
They led lives that were markedly different from those of their families-of-origin. While they continued to face daily challenges, they took control of their own life patterns. While some of their children had been abused in the past, participants in this stage were committed to protecting their children. They provided reasoned advice to them about staying safe, refused to expose them to abusive family members, and taught them to be assertive and self-confident.
If their children were grown, participants in this stage often did these things for other children in their families. They gave speeches to youth groups, told their stories in the media, and shared their successes in treatment facilities. Their disclosures often became proclamations. Some participants in this stage experienced a meaningful spiritual transformation as a result of healing from the CSA Knapik et al.
They experienced a strong sense of divine intervention and considered their healing to be miraculous. Some believed that healing from CSA redeemed them from past sins. Others were inspired by their healing because it allowed them to know God in a special way and to pass on their spiritual gifts to others. During this stage, participants engaged in a variety of altruistic activities. As they laid claim to their own lives, they were strongly committed to improving the lives of others.
They became involved in advocacy and volunteer activities e. They chose helping professions in order to make a difference in the lives of those who abused, oppressed, or disadvantaged. As discussed above, they often spoke publicly about their abuse. A year-old African-American man, who was sexually molested beginning at age 14 by an uncle who was a pastor at a large parish, was in the laying claim stage. He suffered with depression and was very ill for many years. He was no longer sexually active and regularly attended support groups for HIV.
He experienced one decisive event that changed the direction of his life. I returned to work. I put it on him. I am fine now. As a young adult, he revealed the molestation at a large family gathering and was devastated when some family members denied his claim that his uncle had molested him. Later, however, he was encouraged when one cousin contacted him and stated that she believed him.
He felt it was important to address the hypocrisy of the church and prevent other boys from experiencing what he had disclosing the abuse to help others. Because the CSA happened with a minister, it affected his spirituality for many years. However, his spirituality was important to his healing. As described above, the critical event that opened the way for him to lay claim to his life was a spiritual awakening. This participant was involved in a number of benevolent activities; he worked at several community organizations, made speeches for a national HIV group, and helped senior citizens in his neighborhood do their taxes engaging in altruism.
As he was ending the interview, he reinforced that he had laid claimed to his life. He revealed that he had irreversible neuropathy but chose not to let that keep him down: Other times I dance. If you would see me out at parties and stuff, you would say that man ain't got no problems…. The theoretical model presented here represents the complexity of healing from CSA.
The analysis of the narratives of the 95 adults who experienced CSA suggests that there are four stages through which healing may occur — from grappling with the meaning of the CSA to laying claim to one's life. Obtaining an increasingly complex understanding of the dynamics of CSA was foundational to the process of healing. They participants came to understand not only that the CSA was not their fault, but that if occurred because of disturbances of the perpetrator, the dysfunction of their families, and the ills of society.
Factors that enabled movement from one stage to the next involved person factors e. Movement to the final stage — laying claim to one's life — followed a critical life event. Healing was associated with living a satisfying life, stopping the cycle of abuse, and disclosing the abuse to help others. For some, it included experiencing a spiritual transformation and engaging in altruism. The findings must be understood in the context of several study limitations.
The sample included primarily adults who had experienced severe CSA in the context of highly dysfunctional families and went on to endure much victimization and adversity throughout their lives. Thus, the model does not represent healing from CSA that was less severe, brief, and occurred in the context of healthy, supportive families. Yet, because the model was based on the narratives of adults who experienced chronic trauma, multiple co-morbidities, and enduring life stress, it is applicable to many CSA survivors who seek therapy and who have complex treatment needs.
There were several limitations related to the socio-demographic makeup of the sample. The overall income level of the participants was low and the model may not reflect the healing of individuals with more economic resources. In addition, participants were primarily Caucasian and African American and most espoused Judeo-Christian beliefs.
The model, therefore, would not reflect the experiences of individuals who are from non-Western cultures or who are agnostic or atheist. In addition, the participants' narratives were retrospective. Their memories of events, many of which occurred many years in the past, could have been distorted or diminished. We nonetheless believe that their presentation of their life stories provided rich data that help us understand their healing experiences.
The CSA Healing Model is a stage model that suggests that healing is a dynamic and progressive trajectory that involves four processes that build upon one another. However, we do not wish to imply that all individuals move sequentially from stage to stage in an orderly and predictable manner. To the contrary, many our participants experienced elements of two stages simultaneously, passed over stages, or returned to earlier stages. While we identified factors that frequently facilitated movement by participants from one stage to the next, we recognize that there are likely to be other factors that facilitate or impede healing that we did not identify.
Similarly, while all the participants in our sample who reached the stage of laying claim had experienced a critical event, we recognize that individuals may well reach this culminating stage in a more gradual fashion. Whereas some older participants were able to provide data related to their experiences going through several stages, many participants, especially young adults, were in the early stages of healing.
Thus, the model serves as an heuristic that depicts a theoretical depiction for how healing happened in our group of participants. Our findings are consistent with much prior research on healing from CSA. Our model, for example, incorporates many tenets of post-traumatic growth theory and positive psychology, particularly the human tendency to create accounts of difficult life experiences as a way to heal Neimeyer, Despite the fact that our sample of adults had experienced severe adversity across their lifespans, their narratives provided a robust description of both healing from and transcending CSA.
The findings also support prior research that has suggested disclosure, rather than always being beneficial, is an evolving and complex phenomenon Ullman, ; Ullman, Foynes, Shin Shin Tang, This complexity is evidenced in a recent study of adults who were sexually abused as children. The findings revealed that those participants who told someone about the abuse at the time it occurred experienced more mental health symptoms as adults.
A greater number of mental health symptoms was also related to whether that person told someone else without the child's permission. The model has utility for clinicians who work with survivors of CSA. By determining a client's current stage of healing, a clinician would be alerted to the therapeutic work facing the client in a variety of domains and to the enabling factors that might facilitate movement to the next stage.
The findings indicate, for example, that a client who is in the grappling stage needs both affirming messages and some sense of agency to move on, whereas the client who is in figuring out stage needs to have on-going support and a strong sense of personal resolve to begin to tackle the effects of the CSA.
The model might also broaden clinicians' perspectives with regard to the variety of domains in which healing occurs and, therefore, in which clinicians can facilitate progress. The changes in life patterns that accompanied healing, for example, suggest that clinicians should consider a broad range of experiences that signal healing and be particular vigilant to small life successes that might represent significant therapeutic gains. Underpinning changes in life patterns was a developing sense of empowerment. Because parenting was of great concern to most participants, it should routinely be addressed as a therapeutic issue.
The model suggests that parenting should not be considered a dichotomous factor — that is, one either abuses or one nurtures one's children. Rather, the processes of wishing to stop the cycle of abuse and attempting to stop the cycle of abuse were critical steps that need to be acknowledged and fostered. Clinicians should also have an understanding of the dynamic and nuanced processes by which disclosure occurs over the lifespan.
Here also, disclosure is not a dichotomous factor - that is, one tells of the abuse or keeps it secret - but a process that changes and evolves over the lifespan. Disclosure is heavily influenced by the responses of others, including clinicians, and is intimately related to how one incorporates the abuse into one's life narrative. Clinicians, therefore, should not merely ask clients if they have told anyone of their abuse, but should discuss experiences of disclosure at multiple points throughout their lifespan, obtain an in-depth description how others responded, and explore how discussing the abuse shaped clients' understanding of it.
The model also suggests that other issues, such as spirituality and altruism, which are often not the focus of trauma treatment, should be discussed if they are important to clients. Further research might include a longitudinal prospective study to validate the stages and factors that enable transitions. Such as study would also allow a contemporaneous rather than retrospective exploration of the nuances of the transitions from stage to stage. We also suggest further research on gender and ethnic differences in healing from CSA. Minor differences between men and women and African Americans and Caucasians were found in the component projects, but were obscured in this model due to its level of abstraction.
The model does not focus on discrete variables associated with positive or negative coping but rather captures some complex healing processes that culminate in the experience of laying claim to one's life. The qualitative synthesis procedures used to combine elements of the five existing frameworks and to further examine and integrate participant narratives allowed for an analytic product that was more comprehensive than any of the existing frameworks.
The model indicates that clinicians should focus on how clients might move from grappling with the meaning of the CSA, to figuring out its meaning, to tacking its effects, and ultimately, to laying claim to their lives and should be ready to discuss healing in any one of several domains. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U.
J Child Sex Abus. Author manuscript; available in PMC Mar Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer. See other articles in PMC that cite the published article. Abstract Childhood sexual abuse CSA is a prevalent social and healthcare problem. Long-term Effects In women, sexual abuse is associated with poor health status, functional disability, high utilization of health services, and a variety of physical problems, including headache and gynecological and gastrointestinal symptoms Leserman, Coping with Long-term Effects The coping of adults who experienced CSA is often studied by identifying specific types of coping associated with negative or positive health outcomes.
The Present Study A model of healing from CSA that considers the context of the abuse, addresses the complexities and dynamic nature of healing, and places the CSA in a life course perspective is needed. The Sexual Violence Study The specific aim of the broader Sexual Violence Study was to develop a theoretical framework to describe, explain, and predict women's and men's responses to sexual violence throughout their lives. Data were drawn from interviews with 60 female and 46 male survivors of sexual violence who described significant adversity in their families of origin.
Grounded theory methods were used and data were analyzed using the constant comparison method. The framework includes three life patterns and three parenting processes associated with the legacy. Life Patterns influenced by those who challenge or affirm the legacy Being Stuck in the Legacy living with abuse and chaos. Parenting Processes Passing on the Legacy passing abuse on to children. Taking a Stab at Leaving a New Legacy making sincere, but ineffective, attempts to protect children from abuse.
The purpose of this framework is to depict the process by which CSA influences the sexuality of women and men survivors. Data were drawn from interview transcripts of 95 men and women who experienced CSA. To answer these questions, the participants engaged in four processes: The purpose of this theoretical framework is to explain how survivors of childhood sexual abuse CSA tell others about their abuse experiences.
Data were drawn from open-ended interviews conducted with 74 individuals who experienced ongoing CSA by a family member or close acquaintance. Grounded theory methods were used to develop the framework. The psychosocial problem shared by the participants is that CSA both demands and defies explanation. The Story-Not-Yet-Told private storying of the abuse at the time it happens. Coming Out With The Story: The Story-First-Told revealing the abuse for the first time either as a child or as an adult.
The Story-As-Secret keeping the abuse a secret due to a negative response to one's coming out with the story. The Story-As-Account telling the abuse to supportive others after a positive response to one's coming out with the story and incorporating the perspectives of others in the way one stories the abuse. The Story-As-Message sharing one's story of abuse for the purpose of helping others. The purpose of this theoretical framework is to explain how survivors of sexual violence use spirituality to respond to, or recover from, sexual violence.
Data were drawn from open-ended interviews of 27 women and 23 men who had experienced sexual violence. Spiritual Transformation experiencing a profound sense of divine intervention that is lasting and permanent. The purpose of this framework was to describe the ways in which survivors of sexual violence engaged in altruism in response to their experiences with violence.
Individuals engaged in helping others in a variety of ways. Open in a separate window. Spirituality While in the grappling stage, most participants did not experience a comforting or meaningful spiritual connection that facilitated their healing Knapik et al. Altruism Participants in the grappling stage did not often engage in altruism. Exemplar A year-old African-American woman, who was sexually abused as a child and raped as an adolescent, was in the grappling stage.
Enabling factors Two factors enabled participants to move from the stage of grappling to the stage of figuring out. Parenting As participants began to figure out the meaning of their CSA, they became more concerned about not passing abuse on to their children. Spirituality In the figuring out stage, some participants relied on spiritual connections to guide their healing.
Altruism In this stage, as participants began to obtain an understanding of the dynamics of their abuse, especially the fact that they were not to blame, they often became concerned about others who continued to be abused or maltreated and thought about ways to help them Stidham, Exemplar A year-old Caucasian woman, who was molested by a family acquaintance at age 4 and by her father at age 8, was in the figuring out stage.
Tackling the Effects of CSA Once they figured out the meaning of the CSA, some participants engaged in a variety of processes to mitigate its long-term negative outcomes. Enabling factors Two factors enabled participants to move from the figuring out stage to the tackling stage. Life patterns In this stage, participants engaged in new life patterns that included a mix of troubles and successes. Spirituality In the tackling stage, a number of participants experienced a dynamic and directed spiritual process that facilitated their healing; they describe this as a spiritual journey Knapik et al.
Altruism Participants in the tackling stage showed compassion to those who were abused, maltreated, or disadvantaged Stidham, Exemplar A year-old African-American woman, who had been sexually abused throughout much of childhood by an uncle, brother, and grandfather, was in the tackling phase. Laying Claim to One's Life Some participants asserted their right to conduct their lives in ways they saw fit and, in some instances, to seek justice from those who hurt them.
Enabling factors Two factors enabled participants to move from tackling to laying claim. Life patterns As participants laid claim to their lives, they embraced a life pattern that they experienced as empowered. Spirituality Some participants in this stage experienced a meaningful spiritual transformation as a result of healing from the CSA Knapik et al. Altruism During this stage, participants engaged in a variety of altruistic activities. Exemplar A year-old African-American man, who was sexually molested beginning at age 14 by an uncle who was a pastor at a large parish, was in the laying claim stage.
Discussion The theoretical model presented here represents the complexity of healing from CSA. Study Limitations The findings must be understood in the context of several study limitations. Future Research Further research might include a longitudinal prospective study to validate the stages and factors that enable transitions. The long-term mental health consequences of child sexual abuse: An exploratory study of the impact of multiple traumas in a sample of women. Journal of Traumatic Stress. Prevalence and characteristics of sexual violence victimization among U. Handbook of positive psychology.
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