Mothers of Sexually Abused Children and the Concept of Collusion: A Literature Review

Joyce, Patricia A.

doi:10.1300/j070v06n02_05

Cited by 32 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Feminist writers have characterized the family systems orthodoxy as "mother blaming," where the implication has been that mother-child difficulties were a causal factor in abuse perpetrated by men (Birns & Myer, 1993;Elbow & Mayfield, 1991;Joyce, 1997;Myer, 1985). More recently, from a feminist perspective Hooper and Humphries (1998) argued that the polarized nature of the debate may have obscured difficulties in mother-child relationships, some of which may have been caused by the abuser as a part of the abusive dynamic.…”

Section: Working On Parent-child Relationships: Feminist and Family Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Influencing the Degree and Pattern of Parental Involvement in Play Therapy for Sexually Abused Children

Hill

2009

Journal of Child Sexual Abuse

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Although much has been written about the role of therapists in children's recovery from child sexual abuse, relatively little attention has been paid to the role of nonoffending parents. This study investigated the work of a team of therapists who sometimes included such parents in therapy sessions with children. The study sought to understand what factors were influencing the degree and pattern of parental involvement and to understand what effect these patterns of parental involvement were having on the process and outcomes of therapy. The study successfully identified a range of factors influencing the patterns of parental involvement, but more research will be needed to understand the effect on outcomes.

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Section: Working On Parent-child Relationships: Feminist and Family Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Influencing the Degree and Pattern of Parental Involvement in Play Therapy for Sexually Abused Children

Hill

2009

Journal of Child Sexual Abuse

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“…Despite these myths, a recent literature review by Joyce (1997) concluded that most women believe their children's accounts of sexual abuse and act to protect them (about 80% in most of the studies cited). The difficulty appears to be not so much about believing that the abuse occurred but rather in coping with the shock of finding that it has happened to their own child, particularly when the abuser was their partner (Hill 2001).…”

Section: The Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Issues facing brothers of sexually abused children: implications for professional practice

Hill

2003

Child & Family Social Work

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This paper draws on the author's experience of undertaking play therapy with the brothers of sexually abused children. It illustrates the range of difficulties that such boys may face and identifies implications for professional practice. Difficulties are understood as arising from the struggle to develop a coherent narrative about the abuse, often in the face of incomplete or contested information. The outcome is influenced by the nature of the child's attachment relationships with his non‐abusing parents or carers, his abused sibling and with the abuser himself. This struggle for a coherent narrative about the sexual abuse can have a significant impact on the development of a sense of masculine identity, particularly when the abuser is the boy's own father and/or the abused child is male. In the context of increasing professional awareness of the need to support siblings of sexually abused children it is argued that there should be a specific focus on gender and identity issues for boys.

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“…Early theories about child sexual abuse assumed that mothers consciously or unconsciously "knew" about their children's abuse, even if they were in denial about it (Justice & Justice, 1979;Joyce, 1997). While some mothers find it difficult to believe abuse is happening or has happened, and others deny it even when there is clear evidence; other mothers may actually seek additional information or confirmation before they elect to take decisive action.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The discovery process: What mothers see and do in gaining awareness of the sexual abuse of their children

Plummer

2006

Child Abuse & Neglect

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Objective-The aim of this study was to explore how mothers discovered that their children had been sexually abused. The exploration included learning from whom or in what ways mothers learned about the abuse, whether there were prior suspicions, if actions were taken to determine likelihood of abuse, and the barriers to recognizing abuse.Method-An exploratory survey of 125 nonabusive mothers of sexually abused children in three clinical sites was used. The sample included primarily Caucasians and African Americans in a Midwestern state. A focus group study was used to develop the instrument. The survey was analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results-Mothers first came to learn of sexual abuse from a verbal report (42%) or behaviors (15%) of their victimized child. Almost half of the mothers had a sense that something was "not quite right" prior to knowing about the abuse. Mothers took many actions to try to clarify what was occurring including talking with their child (66%) or watching things more closely (39%) Evidence most convincing mothers of the abuse included child's disclosure (74%), child's behavior (66%) and child's emotions (60%). Factors increasing uncertainty included denial by the abuser (21%).Conclusions-This exploratory study provides initial data on how mothers come to learn of and believe the sexual abuse of their children. Educating mothers about effective ways to explore suspicions and weigh the evidence for or against abuse may enhance maternal protection and expedite investigations.

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Mothers of Sexually Abused Children and the Concept of Collusion: A Literature Review

Cited by 32 publications

References 23 publications

Factors Influencing the Degree and Pattern of Parental Involvement in Play Therapy for Sexually Abused Children

Factors Influencing the Degree and Pattern of Parental Involvement in Play Therapy for Sexually Abused Children

Issues facing brothers of sexually abused children: implications for professional practice

The discovery process: What mothers see and do in gaining awareness of the sexual abuse of their children

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