trust

This article presents a summary of findings on existing research into the long-term impact of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Focusing on interpersonal relationships, the article says the survivors experience more dysfunction with intimacy, sexual functioning, and parenting.

Link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VB8-433W7DT-…

This article in the Irish Times is the author's thoughts on how society is also at fault - along with the abusers, the state, schools and churches - for allowing sexual abuse to happen. By not talking about the abuse and shunning those survivors who have come forward with their stories of abuse, society adds to the secrecy and blame that abusers thrive on. In this way, society at large is then complicit in the sexual abuse of children.

Link: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2009/0108/1230936761387.html

This article - Childhood sexual abuse and couples' relationships: Female survivors' reports in therapy groups - is a review of five therapy groups for female survivors of sexual abuse. It's goal is to identify the most frequent themes that arise in terms of relationship difficulties. It found that survivors who are in therapy experience a great deal of turmoil and dissatisfaction in their relationships. The two most frequent relationship issues were difficulties with emotional communication or intimacy, and polarized positions on control; those issues correlate to survivors' primary coping strategies of avoiding threatening or dangerous feelings and the management of feelings of helplessness, powerlessness, and lack of control.

Link: findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3658/is_199810/ai_n8822970

This article - Couples therapy for women survivors of child sexual abuse who are in addictions recovery: A comparative case study of treatment process and outcome - talks about how survivors may be more prone to addictions (the author cites 45% of female survivors experience alcohol addiction), and the role that couples/marriage therapy plays in the recovery process. They review a number of cases and come to five assertions in their conclusion:

1 - Couples therapy is of benefit, mostly with communication skills and problem solving
2 - Marital burnout, if at high levels at pretherapy, can be improved through couples therapy
3 - The benefits of couples therapy may be compromised by high stress levels in the family household
4 - Long-lasting effects may not be evident until some time after therapy has been completed
5 - A decrease in the level of depression reported by more troubled partners is not a good indicator of couple improvement

Link: findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3658/is_200101/ai_n8943277