When Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors Are Not Believed. Discover why carers overlook helping children who report abuse and its effects.
Of the children mistreated in the home, up to one-third might not get a positive reaction upon disclosure.
Non-support could result from poor parental bonding, patriarchal views, emotional and financial reliance.
Lack of support or incredulity has been associated to worse, more severe long-term effects following disclosure.
The daughter of late Canadian writer and Nobel Laureate Alice Munro, Andrea Robin Skinner detailed in an essay in the Toronto Star how she was sexually assaulted by her stepfather in 1976. Although her account of intrafamilial child sexual abuse is regrettable, what stunned many was that Skinner wrote that when she told her mother in 1992, Munro acted “as if she had learned of an infidelity,” returning to her husband, whom she stayed with until his death, so severing mother and daughter. Many find it difficult to comprehend how a known and respected trauma writer neglected to help her own kid.
Why might a non-abusing parent doubt or fail to sufficiently support their child following CSA disclosure?
This is a difficult question with different possible responses depending on the person. Little recent studies have looked at this issue; many of the current studies have tiny samples and mostly concentrate on the part moms play as most stepfathers or biological fathers are offenders. According to estimates for intrafamilial CSA, between 15 to 35 percent of non-abusing parents reject some facets of their child’s account.
One research of ten mothers revealed that those moms who were evaluated as “unsupportive” of their children post-disclosure held more strongly to patriarchal cultural or religious ideas and norms, therefore enabling them to continue in contact with the abusive partner.
Mothers were more likely to believe their children when the offender was a biological father or extended relative than when it was a boyfriend or stepfather, according several studies.
Furthermore linked to disbelieving or unsupportive reactions were economic and/or emotional reliance on the offending parent.
Though some research have indicated moms are more willing to trust younger children and male children than teenage, female children, the results on the age and gender of the child are debatable.
Other research have shown that a weak mother-child bond could cause non-support or disbelief.
It is also hypothesised that offenders participate in familial grooming, whereby the offender not only engages in the sexual grooming of the child but also of the non-offending family members, therefore increasing the possibility that the abuse would not be discovered or believed.
When children expose CSA and they are disbelieved or not sufficiently supported, what happens?
Although CSA has numerous harmful long-term effects, studies indicate that these are compounded when a survivor comes out and receives inadequate assistance.
Children who are believed and supported have better long-term outcomes; parental support post-disclosure has repeatedly been linked to the adjustment of sexually assaulted children.
According to a recent meta-analysis, this link was not as strong as first thought—perhaps due in part to the way support was interpreted. That is, perhaps the long-term results were less about whether the child was believed or disbelieved than about the quality of the parental attachment to the child and the child’s perspective of the parent-child relationship.
The worst results, though, come from a youngster revealing the abuse, nothing is done, and they stay in the violent surroundings.
Children who have revealed abuse must so be supported by carers; the quality of this assistance should thus be the main emphasis of the healing process.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.
References
Jeglic, E.J., & Calkins, C.A. (2018). Protecting you child from sexual abuse: What you need to know to keep your kids safe. New York: Skyhorse Publishing.
Winters, G.M., & Jeglic, E.L. (2022). Sexual Grooming: Integrating Research, Practice, Prevention, and Policy. Springer.
Paraphrased article originally written by:
Elizabeth Jeglic, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and a professor of psychology at John Jay College who studies sexual violence prevention. https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/contributors/elizabeth-l-jeglic-phd