Understanding the Narratives of Child Sexual Abuse

Abstract

This qualitative study consisted of in-depth, retrospective interviews with participants over the age of 18 who experienced child sexual abuse. Through narrative analysis, study findings shed light on three overall findings: the perception of memories, the perception of grooming, and the perception of the lived lives of child sexual abuse survivors. Findings suggest that the narratives elicited from the participants included current views but also past experiences and anticipation about the future, including individual and societal levels of meaning. These narratives are furthermore entangled and inexorably linked – temporally, culturally, generationally, materially, and emotionally – and the results are thus presented from a holistic perspective. Study findings help explain the complex dimensions concerning the lived experiences of child sexual abuse. As such, this research speaks to the field of social and health care practitioners working with children and families facing the complex phenomenon of child sexual abuse.