The perils and possibilities in disclosing childhood sexual abuse to a romantic partner.
This study sought to understand the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in adulthood by interviewing seven women about their experiences of disclosing CSA to romantic partners. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, an in-depth, qualitative research approach, was used to analyze the transcripts. The analysis produced 10 themes that were grouped into three domains: (a) Struggling in Private about Disclosure: prior to disclosing, participants described concerns that arose in the context of their romantic relationships; (b) The Experience of Disclosing: participants described when and how they disclosed and the thoughts and feelings accompanying disclosure; and (c) The Aftereffects of Disclosure: after disclosing, participants described the impact it had on the self as well as on the relationship with their romantic partner.
Department of Psychology, Psychology Building, Room 100G, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA. delcasdm@muohio.edu
Darren
D
Del Castillo
Margaret O'Dougherty
MO
Wright
D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D012649:Self Concept; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D012917:Social Adjustment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult