A Layman's Guide to Loving A Survivor of Childhood Sexual Abuse
This is a great short book on tips for handling a relationship with a childhood sexual abuse survivor.
This is a great short book on tips for handling a relationship with a childhood sexual abuse survivor.
Abuse Survivors is a site focused on helping suvivors of abuse, and it has a section titled 'Relationships' that has some information for partners of survivors.
Link: http://www.abuse-survivors.org.uk/relationships
This book provides methods you can use to improve your life and your relationships even if your partner doesn't participate. By making small changes in how to act and in your own worldview, those around you will also change. This is a good book to read if you want to make changes but your partner is unable or unwilling to do so.
Link: http://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Life-Everyone-How/dp/0684824698
This book is targeted at the partners of abuse survivors (including but not liited to childhood sexual abuse). It provides guidance i 8 major areas:
Link: http://www.amazon.com/Outgrowing-Pain-Together-Eliana-Gil/dp/0440503728
This book is written by a partner of a sexual abuse survivor (who later discovered he was also a survivor). It's widely recognized as one of the better books for partners of survivors to read.
Link: http://www.amazon.com/Survivors-Partners-Healing-Relationships-Sexual/d…
Intimacy can be one of the toughest parts of a relationship with a sexual abuse survivor. This short post from Suite101.com explains the impact fear of intimacy can have on a relationship and three ways to overcome it: honesty, communication and authenticity.
Link: http://psychology.suite101.com/article.cfm/fear_of_intimacy
Anxiety can cause suspicion, neediness and impulsiveness in relationships. Although this article is focused more on the person who has the anxiety, it provides some good background for their partners to understand what is going on.
This web site - aish.com - is the largest Jewish learning site, features articles and audio segments on spirituality, parenting, dating, weekly Torah portion, Holocaust studies, and Ask the Rabbi. This specific article has to do with tips on dealing with an angry spouse; there are more articles on marriage & relationships on the site.
Link: http://www.aish.com/family/marriage/Thinking_Clearly_in_the_Face_of_Ang…
Gudrun Frerichs is a psychologist based in New Zealand who has started an impressive site focused on sexual abuse. Part of that site is about relationships for those who have been sexually abused. She has posted some good information that is useful not only for sexual abuse survivors but also for their partners.
Link: http://gfrerichs.typepad.com/gudrunfrerichs/relationships/
This website targets 'pastors and other religious professionals' with information about abuse, how it affects survivors, and ,notably, how it affects family members and family dynamics. While it is targeted to pastors religious professionals, much of the information is not specific to religion at all. In the Family Member section it has some good information on how spouses of abused persons are affect, and in the Family Dynamics section it talks about three different roles a survivor may take on in the family, and discusses the effects of each of those roles.
Although the journals, books and research cited are a bit dated, this site is a good overview of abuse and how it affects survivors, partners and families.