Connecting past and present: Nurses' role in identifying signs of child sexual abuse in adults and supporting survivors

Cleary, Michelle; West, Sancia; McLean, Loyola; Kezelman, Cathy; Karacsony, Sara; Kornhaber, Rachel

doi:10.1111/inm.12495

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…A comprehensive understanding of the impact of retrospective incidents of CSA on current behaviours, symptoms and risk factors, including the coping strategies individuals adopt, is an important aspect of modern health care. Cleary et al (2018) suggest a failure to understand the impact of the person’s CSA history can lead to a failure to adequately support, refer and work with the current difficulties. MHNs as front‐line healthcare professionals are in a unique position to identify and support the person with the associated challenges of CSA, with the hope of facilitating and improving health outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mental health nurses’ perceived preparedness to work with adults who have child sexual abuse histories

Kennedy

Morrissey

Donohue

2020

Psychiatric Ment Health Nurs

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Accessible summary What is known on the subject? The high prevalence of adults presenting to the mental health services places mental health nurses (MHNs) in a unique position to help to identify and support the person with the associated challenges of child sexual abuse (CSA). Feelings of discomfort have been identified by mental health nurses (MHNs) when working with survivors of CSA due to a lack of knowledge, poor confidence and feeling unprepared to inquire and respond to such a sensitive topic. What does the study add to existing knowledge? MHNs are willing to engage in CSA dialogue; however, the level of engagement is often conditional with clear parameters set by participants. Whilst all participants reported they were willing to engage in conversation initiated by the service user, some were unwilling to listen to details of the CSA and used strategies to censor service users from providing details of the CSA. What are the implications for practice? Whilst self‐protecting boundaries helped MHNs to engage in CSA dialogue, strategies to censor aspects of the service user’s dialogue may reinforce the belief that their experience of CSA is too shameful to talk about, hence denying the reality of their experience and contributing to feelings of re‐shaming. MHNs need a combination of theoretical knowledge and psychosocial skills to achieve clinical competence when working with CSA; therefore, training should not only include information pertaining to facts and statistics but also case presentations, clinical training and supervision. Clinical supervision was highlighted by all participants as a necessary means of formal support, more specifically group clinical supervision whereby peer support can also be availed of in a formalized setting. Abstract IntroductionThe high prevalence of adults presenting to the mental health services places mental health nurses (MHNs) in a unique position to support the person with the associated challenges of CSA, yet little is known about the preparedness of MHNs to work with this client population. AimTo explore MHNs’ perceived preparedness to work with adults who have CSA histories, and to elicit their views, skills and confidence in relation to working with this sensitive issue. MethodIn‐depth semi‐structured interviews were conducted with five consenting MHNs. A qualitative descriptive methodology informed the study. A thematic analysis framework guided the data analysis. ResultsThe findings assert that MHNs are willing to work with survivors of CSA despite feeling unprepared to so, MHNs described feeling ill‐prepared in how to respond to CSA, calling for not just education and training specific to CSA but also citing the need for clinical supervision and additional guidelines to enhance their preparedness. DiscussionResults of this study further highlighted the omission of CSA within nursing curricula and the absence of role models within clinical practice as a major barrier to preparedness to work with survivors of CSA. Recommendations are made for training, e...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health nurses’ perceived preparedness to work with adults who have child sexual abuse histories

Kennedy

Morrissey

Donohue

2020

Psychiatric Ment Health Nurs

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“…Among alarming epidemiological data between 2011 and 2017, healthcare units in Brazil received an average of 20,000 cases of sexual abuse against children and 25,000 reports through the Human Rights Helpline, which brings an average estimate of 55 abused children and adolescents per day and 2.3 per hour (4) . Nursing is crucial in providing care for child victims of sexual abuse, as they assume a privileged position within the multidisciplinary team, directly interacting with children/adolescents and their families, thereby strengthening the bond between the professional and the user (8) . In a study conducted with nurses, a lack of knowledge about their role and importance within this theme was observed, including recognizing signs and symptoms and the difficulty of understanding the best approach to deal with such situations, thereby impairing the provision of qualified assistance to the child (9) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abuso Sexual contra Crianças no Contexto da Enfermagem: Uma Análise de Conceito

Medeiros,

Nóbrega,

Bezerra

et al. 2024

Online braz j nurs

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Objetivo: Realizar a análise do conceito de abuso sexual em crianças, identificando os possíveis atributos, antecedentes e consequências. Método: Foi conduzida uma análise de conceito, estruturada por meio de uma scoping review. A busca foi realizada em 6 bases de dados e, após análise, um total de 17 artigos foram incluídos. Resultados: Foram identificados, como antecedentes, crianças com idade acima de 8 anos, do sexo feminino, sendo o agressor frequentemente um parente da vítima ou até mesmo o próprio pai. Quanto aos atributos, foram identificadas alterações psicológicas, doenças sexualmente transmissíveis e gravidez indesejada. As consequências observadas foram predominantemente de natureza psicológica, incluindo depressão e comportamento suicida. Conclusão: No total, foram agrupados nove antecedentes que estão relacionados aos fatores que levam à vulnerabilidade do abuso. Além disso, foram identificados 11 atributos correspondentes aos sinais característicos que indicam que uma criança é vítima de abuso. Por fim, foram observadas 12 consequências decorrentes da violência sexual infantil.

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“…A third model of care is trauma-informed care (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014). A trauma-informed approach recognises the prevalence of trauma, its presentations and impacts, and the needs of people with lived experience of trauma and focuses on supporting them psychologically while minimising the risk of re-traumatisation (Cleary, West et al, 2018). Consistent with many of the principles discussed in relation to McAllister and Walsh's (2003) CARE framework, trauma-informed care emphasises safety, transparency, trustworthiness, collaboration, choice, empowerment, peer support, mutuality, and inclusiveness (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014).…”

Section: Understanding Care and Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mattering: Children's Experiences of Care and Support After Suicide

Brunskill

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<p>The care and support a child receives following a bereavement can significantly impact a child’s ability to adjust. Children bereaved by suicide are at increased risk of negative outcomes, yet little is known about their experiences and needs for care and support or what it means for them to be cared for and supported. Previous studies have mainly focused on the care and support experiences of adolescent and adult suicide loss survivors. A paucity of qualitative research has examined child suicide loss survivors’ experiences of care and support. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of 10 Aotearoa/New Zealand child survivors (aged 6-13 years) who lost a loved one to suicide. In-depth phenomenological interviews were used to gain insights into the care and support experiences of the children. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using van Manen’s interpretative/descriptive approach to phenomenology. The children described experiences of care (and support) they received from others, self-care, and care they provided to others. Five key themes within the phenomenon of care were identified: connective care, attentive care, responsive care, self-care, and care for others. Mattering was the overarching essence of their experience and what it meant for the children to be cared for and supported after the suicide of someone close. It was through experiencing mattering that the children were able to experience care. The children felt cared for and supported only when caring and supportive behaviours reinforced their sense of mattering. What reinforced a child’s sense of mattering was unique to each child. The children wanted care that was responsive to their unique and individual needs and that promoted their agency and emotional safety. Agency was about being empowered to have a voice and choice so that care could be provided based on their actual, rather than assumed, needs. To feel emotionally safe, the children needed care that was empathetic and based on a genuine connection and lived experience (offered by people who ‘get it’). This study has created new knowledge about what care and support means to a child survivor, what it is like to be cared for and supported, and what child survivors experience as being helpful and unhelpful. The implications of the findings are that those caring for and supporting child survivors need to think differently about the way that child survivors are viewed and cared for. The findings highlight the need for suicide postvention for children to be based on a mattering-reinforcing approach to care (trauma-informed and child-centred), and for child survivors to be seen as active participants in their care. Recommendations are made for postvention practice and future research.</p>

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Connecting past and present: Nurses' role in identifying signs of child sexual abuse in adults and supporting survivors

Cited by 7 publications

References 32 publications

Mental health nurses’ perceived preparedness to work with adults who have child sexual abuse histories

Mental health nurses’ perceived preparedness to work with adults who have child sexual abuse histories

Abuso Sexual contra Crianças no Contexto da Enfermagem: Uma Análise de Conceito

Mattering: Children's Experiences of Care and Support After Suicide

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