Health Professionals' Responses to Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse History: Female Child Sexual Abuse Survivors' Experiences

• NCJ Number: 231426
• Journal: Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 19 Issue: 3 Dated: May-June 2010 Pages: 239-254
• Author(s): Kim McGregor; Shirley Julich; Marewa Glover; Jeny Gautam
• Date Published: May 2010
• Length: 16 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the experiences and interactions betweem female survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA)and their health professional after disclosure of a history of CSA.

Abstract

This study reports on a postal questionnaire, conducted in 2004, with female survivors of historic child sexual abuse. The questionnaire explored their experiences of health professionals' responsiveness to disclosure of child sexual abuse history. Of 61 participants, aged between 22 and 65, 69 percent had disclosed to health professionals. Those who had not disclosed reported that they would have liked to but were not asked about child sexual abuse. Thirty-five percent of participants suggested routine questioning about child sexual abuse. Most participants related a fear of common medical examination procedures to their experience of child sexual abuse, and 64 percent said this stopped them from attending regular health checks. The current study suggests the development of guidelines for dealing with possible child sexual abuse survivors would be useful for health professionals. Tables and references (Published Abstract)