McClean, Suzanne (2020) The impact of child sexual abuse on the adult couple relationship: the perspective of the survivor attending for therapy at an Irish Rape Crisis Centre. Doctor of Psychotherapy thesis, Dublin City University.
Abstract
This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of adult survivors of child sexual
abuse (CSA), with specific regard to their experience of the impact of CSA on their
adult couple relationships. A precise account of the prevalence of CSA is
unachievable, as many incidences remain unreported. However, its undeniably high
prevalence suggests that psychotherapeutic practitioners will benefit from achieving a
heightened awareness of how CSA impacts on the lives of clients and on their adult
couple relationships. This study utilized Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
(IPA) to analyze themes identified following in-depth interviews with ten adult
survivors of CSA who were attending therapy at an Irish community-based rape crisis
centre. Four master themes emerged; Protecting Myself from Emotional Pain,
Reliving the Abusive Cycle, Living with the Burden of the Past and Discovering My
Strengths. IPA was deemed an appropriate choice of research approach, in
consideration of the silence and voicelessness often experienced by survivors of CSA.
The concept of giving voice to these participants regarding their couple relationships,
was at the foreground of this study, and therefore these findings have firsthand,
authentic implications for therapeutic practice, both in individual and couple
psychotherapy settings. By exploring both strengths and challenges in the
relationships of CSA survivors, a deeper understanding of associated adverse lived
experiences was achieved, while at the same time illuminating possible positive and
constructive outcomes.
Metadata
Item Type: | Thesis (Doctor of Psychotherapy) |
---|---|
Date of Award: | March 2020 |
Refereed: | No |
Supervisor(s): | Moore, Gerard and McMahon, Aisling |
Uncontrolled Keywords: | adult survivor; sexual abuse;psychotherapy; phenomenology |
Subjects: | Medical Sciences > Mental health Medical Sciences > Psychology Social Sciences > Communication Social Sciences > Social psychology |
DCU Faculties and Centres: | DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science and Health > School of Nursing and Human Sciences |
Use License: | This item is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. View License |
ID Code: | 24153 |
Deposited On: | 09 Apr 2020 09:43 by Gerard Moore . Last Modified 09 Apr 2020 09:43 |
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