Browsing by Subject "Child sexual abuse"

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    An explorative study of false allegations of child sexual abuse in divorce and custody proceedings in South Africa
    (2015) Robinson, Tanya Marie; John-Langba, Johannes
    False child sexual abuse allegations in divorce and custody proceedings are a disconcerting problem in South Africa having devastating effects on the family unit going through a divorce, and on society as a whole. Limited research has been done in South Africa on the subject matter (Janse Van Rensburg, 2008; McDonald, 1998; Preller, 2014).This study utilize General System's Theory, the Theory of Reasoned Action, the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Crisis Theory to explore the subject matter. An explorative qualitative approach with a constructivist epistemology was utilised. The participants in this study involved thirty key informants, who included social workers, psychologists, counsellors and other professionals who specialise in divorce, custody and sexual abuse matters. A further five falsely accused parents and five accusing parents formed part of the sample. The data collection method used was that of in-depth interviews and research assistants were trained and appointed to gather the information. Notes were taken and the interviews were recorded to enable the necessary data analysis. Content and thematic data analyses were used to analyse the data and obtain the necessary results. The research findings indicate that false child sexual abuse allegations have a detrimental effect on the accused parent and explain the agony, severe trauma and emotional distress the falsely accused parent go through. There are various factors contributing towards false child sexual abuse allegations and results show that the impact of such allegations is11detrimental to the family system, the child and the falsely accused parent and brings disequilibrium to the family system that is very difficult to restore post-divorce. The mental health perspective on false child sexual abuse paints a rather bleak picture of the legal and social system and on adequately addressing the social issues at hand. Results highlight that false allegations are a complicated phenomenon and not all professionals nor the courts have the necessary skills to deal adequately with these matters. Research recommends amendments to South African Policy and Legislation, changes to the South African court system, and capacity building of mental health professionals. As this research is a ground-breaking study in South Africa, as no scientific research has been published on the subject matter, this study should be used as a basis for future research studies.
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    Psychological trauma : discourses of childhood sexual abuse
    (1989) Levett, Ann; Foster, Don
    There are difficulties with the ways in which childhood sexual abuse and its consequences have been conceptualised and studied. This thesis takes a critical and reflexive approach in examining conventional, dominant ideas about psychological trauma following the sexual abuse or molestation of girls. The empirical and clinical literature in this area is reviewed, to contextualize two studies in the first part of the thesis. Case studies of three women who disclosed childhood sexual abuse as a major problem area in psychotherapy are presented within a psychodynamic framework; the therapeutic issues which emerge are ones common among women. A prevalence study of child sexual abuse experiences among a sample of university women students is then presented and compared with North American studies; the prevalence figure of 44% is discussed in relation to the methodology used, which was informed by feminist conventions of a supportive, non-intrusive group setting, providing educational input as a therapeutic intervention. Given that childhood sexual abuse is a common experience for girls, a conceptual analysis of psychological trauma is developed. In Part II of the thesis the methodology is informed by the importance of linking current ideas about ideology with language and social practices, in an investigation of themes of power/knowledge in relation to the issues raised in Part I. Verbal and written texts gathered from a group of women were subjected to discourse analyses. In the third study presented it is shown that the professional discourse concerning the traumatic effects of child sexual abuse is pervasive in discursive themes elicited from lay women. This is interpreted as an example of the production and reproduction of knowledge which perpetuates existing power structures (lay /professional; female/male; child/adult); anomalous themes are understood as agentic strategies of resistance. In the fourth study presented, discourse analysis of spoken and written texts collected from women showed the extent to which fears and anxieties about childhood sexual abuse affects the lives of girls and women in a South African sample, and the forms these fears take. Interpreted as discourses of female control, every girl is placed and has to place herself in relation to these discourses, in which she invests in various ways. The conclusion is that the individualization of specific events of sexual abuse obscures the everyday discourses and discursive practices which govern the lives of girls and women, against which they may struggle. These constitute aspects of the interpellation of female gendered subjectivity. The conflict areas and problems which bring women to therapy are related to being female in a particular socio-historical context, rather than to experiences of childhood sexual abuse.