Helping Parents Address Their Child's Sexual Behavior Problems

Heiman, Marsha L.

doi:10.1300/j070v10n03_03

Cited by 9 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…The existing research, limited though it is, has found that families respond to a young person who has sexually abused in a number of ways, for example by denying the abuse; by seeing the child as a ‘monster’ and rejecting him or her; or by supporting the child (Comartin and others, ; Heiman, ). Family reactions to an abusive child may be especially complex when another child in the family has been abused.…”

Section: What Is Already Known About Family Reactions To Sexual Abuse?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Family Responses to Young People Who have Sexually Abused: Anger, Ambivalence and Acceptance

et al. 2012

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Data on 117 British young people who had sexually abused others were examined in order to investigate the nature and impact of family responses on the management of young sexual abusers. Parental responses were varied, ranging from being entirely supportive of the child, through to ambivalence and uncertainty and, at the other end of the continuum, to outright rejection. Parents were more likely to be supportive when their child's victims were extra‐familial and condemnatory when the victims were intra‐familial. Sibling responses were complex and strongly influenced by whether that sibling was the victim of the young person's abuse or not. Policy and practice implications are discussed.

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Section: What Is Already Known About Family Reactions To Sexual Abuse?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Family Responses to Young People Who have Sexually Abused: Anger, Ambivalence and Acceptance

et al. 2012

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“…When they enroll in treatment, some report increased parental involvement and active participation in treatment, whereas others report greater estrangement due to their offenses. Ultimately, a parent's response to a child's sexual offense can either hinder or facilitate their child's ability to change their behavior in treatment (Heiman, 2002). Family support is characterized by statements such as "They were really there for me all the time"; "It was really good to have my family supporting me"; and "Knowing they cared for me" (Franey et al, 2005, p. 312).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They describe the discovery as "unlike any other family crisis, especially when my son is the perpetrator" (Kolko et al, 2005, p. 164). One of three responses follows: denial of the offense, with refusal to accept it occurred; acknowledgment of the offense, accompanied by anger and rejection of the child; or acceptance of the offense, with intent to help the child (Heiman, 2002). The parent who denies that the child has committed a sexual offense acts inappropriately and lives in a state of denial.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The parent who denies that the child has committed a sexual offense acts inappropriately and lives in a state of denial. This parent reacts with extreme harshness and punitiveness, viewing their child as a "monster" (Heiman, 2002). This parent views his or her child as an unfairly accused victim and the blame is transferred to the victim of the offense.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Parents of Adolescents Who Have Sexually Offended

Jones

2014

J Interpers Violence

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When an adolescent sexually offends, it is a traumatic experience in the lives of their families. However, there is limited research about the experiences of these family members. This article presents two qualitative pilot studies that explored the experiences of eight parents and parental figures of adolescents who have sexually offended (ASOs). Both studies are presented to give a more complete description of the experience. Data were collected using a focus group and individual interviews. The purpose of Study 1 was to identify how parents of ASOs felt when they provided support to their child after his sexual offense. The overarching theme that emerged from the data was to prevent reoffending within the context of the prescribed treatment. Three main themes emerged within this process: an interactive relationship between the parent and the child, identified as being there; the parental toll; and aspirations for the child's future. Study 2 was then conducted to further explore the parental toll using an interview guide that was developed using the Trauma Outcome Process as a theoretical framework. It aimed to identify their lived experience and describe ways in which they coped with the emotional toll. Four main themes emerged: coping with the initial response, coping with feeling responsible, coping with feeling alone and overwhelmed, and benefits from participating in a family support group. These findings revealed parents' perceptions of reality while living and coping with the experience of having a child who sexually offended. Results will be used in the development of an intervention to help this population gain acceptance and cope with this experience.

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“…Parents have been left to manage these experiences with little support from healthcare providers. As a result, they may act inappropriately in response to the offense by denying, rejecting, minimizing, and rationalizing its occurrence (Heiman, 2001). These responses hinder the ability of parents to redirect their children's behavior.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The lived experience of parents of adolescents who have sexually offended: I am a survivor

Pierce

2011

Journal of Forensic Nursing

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This study aimed to describe the lived experience of parents of adolescents who had sexually offended. The participants (n= 4) were parents and parental figures of adolescents legally adjudicated for sexual offenses and currently involved in sex offender-specific treatment. Using an ethnographic research design guided by the premises of the Trauma Outcome Process, a focus group and individual interviews were conducted with these participants. Content analysis and constant comparison yielded four main themes: the initial reaction, the relationship with the child, "dealing with it," and being a survivor. These results support the development of an individualized intervention to meet the self-identified needs of this population.

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Helping Parents Address Their Child's Sexual Behavior Problems

Cited by 9 publications

References 12 publications

Family Responses to Young People Who have Sexually Abused: Anger, Ambivalence and Acceptance

Family Responses to Young People Who have Sexually Abused: Anger, Ambivalence and Acceptance

Parents of Adolescents Who Have Sexually Offended

The lived experience of parents of adolescents who have sexually offended: I am a survivor

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