title: The relentless past: The effect of chronic sexual abuse in childhood on fifty years of adolescent and adult development.
abstract: Four sisters, now in their late fifties and early sixties, were sexually abused during childhood over a four-year span by the same priest. Until recently they told no one about their experience and never received any psychological diagnostic evaluations or treatment. The author conducted detailed psychiatric evaluations of each of the four women while serving as the plaintiffs' expert witness during their lawsuits against the Catholic Church. The suits have been settled, and the women have given written permission to tell their stories. This unique clinical material provides a rare opportunity to describe and understand the ongoing, pervasive effects of untreated, chronic childhood sexual abuse on developmental processes over half a century. In each instance the women were describing the details of the abuse and the effects on their development for the first time. The severity of the pathology and the intense shame and anxiety associated with discussing their experiences after so many years raises questions about the choice of treatment and technique, particularly in regard to transference and countertransference issues.
authors.affiliation: University of California at San Diego, USA.
authors.forename: Calvin A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Colarusso
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D002410:Catholicism; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D002977:Clergy; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005104:Expert Testimony / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008875:Middle Aged; D010553:Personality Development; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012752:Shame; D035781:Siblings / Q000523:psychology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D014481:United States