Life trajectories of female child abuse survivors thriving in adulthood

Authentic Leadership Behaviors and Thriving at Work: Empirical Evidence From The Information Technology Industry in Australia

Authentic leaders display an exceptional level of integrity and honesty, a high level of awareness and responsibility as well as a commitment to achieving their goals; as a result, they develop more trusting relationships with their employees, which could be translated into many positive outcomes, such as enhancing the ability to thrive at work. The present study aims to determine the role of authentic leadership´s (AL's) four dimensions (self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing, and internalized moral perspective) in fostering an environment that offers workers the opportunity to do well, including in terms of two related elements (vitality and learning). An online questionnaire was conducted to collect data from a sample of 402 participants from the information technology (IT) industry in Australia. The study used WarpPLS software to analyze the collected data by the structural equation model. According to the results, balanced processing of AL has a positive and significant effect on two aspects of thriving at work, namely vitality and learning, Moreover, the internalized moral perspective inherent in the aforementioned phenomenon affects learning. The current study is novel as it is among examples of pioneering research that employ the path model, and it uses multi-dimensional structures to examine authentic leadership and thriving at work in the workplace. The research also discusses theoretical contributions, managerial implications, and limitations along with future study directions.

Constructing the 'zero family': Breaking the intergenerational transmission of maltreatment from the perspective of care-experienced parents

BACKGROUND

Several studies have explored the mechanisms of intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment (ITCM), which also involves care-experienced parents; however, what is less explored is their direct experience, especially regarding resilience processes.

OBJECTIVE

Developing the theoretical framework of ITCM through an exploration of the perspectives of those who appear to have interrupted it.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

A sample of 27 Italian parents - with experience in foster and/or residential care - who have broken the ITCM, completed an in-depth interview between May 2021 and February 2023.

METHODS

A Constructivist Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2014) approach was adopted in carrying out the interviews, which focused on daily experiences of parenting (Morgan, 2011) and on factors perceived as supporting ITCM interruption. Data were analyzed using open, focused and theoretical coding; the analysis itself was discussed with a consultive board of care-experienced parents.

RESULTS

The study highlighted important aspects that, from parents' perspectives, play a role in breaking ITCM: for instance, how their parenting experience is a challenging process of constructing what they term 'zero family'. Furthermore, starting a family from scratch requires coming to terms with the past, re-imagining oneself as a parent, and managing the complexity of everyday life despite such tensions.

CONCLUSIONS

The results throw light on how the transition to parenthood itself is perceived as a significant developmental opportunity for the interruption of ITCM. However, many problems persist, foregrounding the relevance of discussing possible supports to strengthen parenting agency and skills. Such a discussion should therefore be increasingly informed by ecological approaches and parents' perspectives (also on everyday practices and life contexts), thus avoiding the risk of pathologizing responses.

Childhood Maltreatment and Adult Work Absenteeism: Work Meaningfulness as a Double-Edged Sword

The adverse impacts of childhood maltreatment (CM) on an individual's health and economic welfare are widely recognized, yet its occupational and organizational effects remain less explored. Employee absenteeism, known as absenteeism, is often a sign of workplace maladjustment and may be linked to a history of CM. Some individuals in the helping professions, who exhibit a strong sense of purpose in their employment and pursue it in demanding environments, are CM survivors. This study investigates whether a heightened sense of meaningfulness in their work is associated with increased absenteeism among this subgroup. We recruited 320 helping professionals from a variety of social and mental health settings, one third of whom reported experiencing CM. As hypothesized, CM was positively correlated with work absenteeism. Furthermore, the relationship between work meaningfulness and absenteeism was moderated by their CM history: among those with CM experiences, greater work meaningfulness was associated with higher absenteeism rates. Our findings highlight the possibility that work meaningfulness may operate as a double-edged sword, and the importance of better understanding the challenges that high-functioning survivors of CM face within organizational contexts.

For survivors of child abuse, college isn't just school - it's a sanctuary

Though child abuse and neglect are an epidemic in the United States, experts estimate that they are grossly underreported, leaving hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children and adolescents at risk for short- and long-term physical and mental health sequelae. Abuse victims may be able to find eventual relief in college, but costs can be prohibitive when colleges expect abusive parents to contribute tens of thousands of dollars to their children's education. The current piece examines current policies in place for students to request dependency overrides in financial aid and barriers to appealing on the claim of abuse. This piece ends with a summary of recommendations intended to make the appeal process more equitable and favorable for victims.

A phenomenological exploration of work-related post-traumatic growth among high-functioning adults maltreated as children

Introduction

Childhood maltreatment is a highly prevalent traumatic experience, and its adverse psychological and behavioral consequences are well-documented. Notwithstanding these adverse outcomes, many individuals who suffered from traumatic experiences report post-traumatic growth, i.e., transformative positive changes resulting from their struggle to cope. Post-traumatic growth has been extensively explored among adult survivors of childhood maltreatment, with findings indicating both the previously recognized domains (personal strength, relating to others, appreciation of life, openness to new possibilities, and spiritual change) as well as abuse-specific domains of growth (e.g., increased ability to protect themselves from abuse). However, little attention has been given to vocational aspects of post-traumatic growth among survivors, despite the central role and importance of work in adulthood. Exploration of post-traumatic growth at work has focused on certain vocational traumatic experiences, such as those which occur in the military, or through secondary trauma. This exploratory qualitative study focuses on the question: What is the lived experience of work-related post-traumatic growth among high-functioning adult survivors of CM?

Method

Twenty in-depth interviews were held with high-functioning working adults who were maltreated as children. Phenomenological analysis was applied to the retrospective data reported in these interviews.

Result

Rich descriptions of work-related positive psychological changes were provided by all participants. Analysis revealed that survivors' post-traumatic growth corresponded with all five previously recognized domains of growth: changes in self, relating to others, openness to new possibilities, finding meaning to the abuse, and appreciation of life. It also revealed that work is perceived as a form of resistance (a subtheme of changes in self), and that finding meaning entails three emerging subthemes: being a survivor and a role model, giving others what was needed and never received, and making a better world.

Discussion

While the vocational lives of survivors of childhood maltreatment have rarely been examined through the lens of post-traumatic growth, our results show this lens to be highly valuable. Work-related post-traumatic growth has relevance not only regarding vocational traumas occurring in adulthood as has been previously studied, but also in the context of childhood traumas. Moreover, our research broadens the understanding of the possible domains of work-related growth.

Losses Associated With Childhood Sexual Abuse in Women Survivors: A Scoping Review

METHOD

This article reports the findings of a scoping review designed to identify research exploring the losses associated with childhood sexual abuse in women survivors. A systematic search of databases for articles published between 1983 and 2019 were conducted using keywords related to loss and women survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

FINDINGS

Twenty studies were selected for review using predefined inclusion criteria: studies that include adult women survivors of childhood sexual abuse, studies that include child/childhood sexual abuse, studies that include stigmatized loss, studies that indicate stigmatized loss in adult women survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Sources were subject to quality appraisal and data were extracted in line with the review question.

DISCUSSION AND CONTRIBUTION

Findings acknowledged and extended on Bloom's model of stigmatized loss and suggested that female survivors of childhood sexual abuse may experience an overall loss of self-efficacy, presenting as a loss of personal agency, interpersonal agency, and sexual agency. The results of this research suggest that loss be considered in support interventions with women self-reporting childhood sexual abuse. It is recommended that further research be conducted to confirm these findings so that they may advocate for inclusion in childhood sexual abuse treatment interventions.

The protective role of sense of community and access to resources on college student stress and COVID-19-related daily life disruptions

The aim of our study was to understand more about how college students have been impacted by the pandemic and how their universities can better support them by emphasizing protective factors that build resilience. The protective factors we explored were sense of community, perceived adequacy of resources, and perceived social support.We conducted an online survey, which was administered to 296 (70.4% female and M_age = 20.34) students from a private Northeastern University in the United States. There were gender and class year differences found after analysis. In addition, sense of community and perceived adequacy were found to be statistically significant. There were gender and class year differences found after analysis. In addition, sense of community and perceived adequacy were found to be statistically significant. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of sense of community and access to resources as protective factors in mitigating stress and coronavirus disease 2019-related disruptions to daily life among college students, particularly for female students who report more adverse outcomes.

To Live, Not Only Survive-An Ongoing Endeavor: Resilience of Adult Swedish Women Abused as Children

Background: A significant proportion of individuals exposed to maltreatment in childhood adapt positively in adulthood despite the adversities, i.e., show resilience. Little is known about resources and processes related to adulthood that promote resilience. Since women are overrepresented as victims of intrafamilial violence, understanding resilience among adult women is important. Objective: To explore experiences of resilience among adult women who perceive well-being and well-functioning although being exposed to maltreatment during childhood. Participants and Setting: This study included 22 women with experiences of childhood maltreatment, mean age of 48 years, living in Sweden. Methods: Individual interviews were conducted and analyzed according to constructivist grounded theory. Results: The process of resilience was experienced as an ongoing endeavor to live, not only survive, an internal process that interacted with external processes involving social relations and conditions. This endeavor was built on four interrelated resources: establishing and maintaining command of life; employing personal resources; surrounding oneself with valuable people; and reaching acceptance. These worked together, not in a linear or chronological order, but in up and down ways, turns and straight lines (now and then), through the process from maltreatment to well-being. Conclusion: Resilience was found to rest on intrapersonal and interpersonal resources. Individual's inherent capabilities can be, depending on life circumstances and available resources, realized in a way that promote well-being and well-functioning despite severe adversities. Therefore, public health initiatives, social services, and policies should provide conditions that help women maltreated in childhood to live fully rather than merely to survive.

Plunging Into a Dark Sea of Emotions: Professionals' Emotional Experiences Addressing Child Abuse in Interviews With Children

Comprehending professionals' emotional challenges when addressing child abuse can help to improve identification, protection, and care for exposed children. This study presents an interpretive description analysis of qualitative interviews with ten child protective services workers and nine child mental health services psychologists in Norway. The participants described intense negative reactions due to addressing child abuse during assessments and investigations. We identified five main themes: (a) facing children's suffering caused by adults, (b) feeling mean, (c) doubting one's ability and skills, (d) feeling that one is betraying children, and (e) being obstructed by heavy workload and dysfunctional structure. To improve professionals' capacity to help exposed children, it is necessary to change the organizational structure and culture. In addition, professionals would benefit from systematic training in handling complexity and in efficient emotion regulation. Finally, we strongly suggest that institutions responsible for investigating child abuse facilitate and prioritize deliberate practice for their staff.

Parenting Among Mothers Who Experienced Child Sexual Abuse: A Qualitative Systematic Review

Child sexual abuse (CSA) represents a significant public health problem. While CSA is associated with several adverse outcomes, recent attention has been given to its effect on maternal parenting. Despite a growing literature on this topic, a comprehensive systematic review has not been conducted. Thus, this review aimed to fill this gap. Several search strategies were used, including searches in academic databases. Two reviewers completed screening, full-text review, data extraction, and quality determinations. Extracted qualitative data were synthesized for the 108 studies meeting inclusion criteria. The primary themes emerging from women's accounts of the effects of CSA on their current parenting included abuse of child, breastfeeding, child-rearing practices, coping related to parenting, mother-child relationship, perceptions of child, perceptions of motherhood, and protection of children from abuse. Given the current lack of interventions designed for these mothers, the results of this review may aid in the development of evidence-based interventions.

'From my point of view, my wife has recovered': A qualitative investigation of caregivers' perceptions of recovery and peer support services for people with bipolar disorder in a Chinese community

BACKGROUND

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic mental disorder, and family members play a key role in taking care of the affected individuals. The recovery movement has gradually transformed mental health services, for example, through the introduction of peer support services (sharing of expert-by-experience knowledge), and it has challenged the prevailing view that people with mental illness cannot recover.

AIMS

Through this study, the researchers explored how family caregivers in a Chinese context conceptualise recovery, how caregivers interact with peer support workers (PSWs) and how they perceive peer support services.

METHODS

Fourteen family caregivers from community settings participated in individual semi-structured interviews. The data were analysed through thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Family caregivers had multifaceted definitions of recovery and had various degrees of contact with PSWs. The views and experiences shared by PSWs were hope-instilling for caregivers and changed their perception of BD and their loved ones. Some limitations of PSWs were also identified.

CONCLUSION

Social connectedness and functional outcomes were important indicators of recovery among Chinese family caregivers. Caregivers began to understand the benefits of PSWs after experiencing their services. Peer-led services could be a helpful support for both service users and family caregivers.

Characteristics of mental health recovery narratives: Systematic review and narrative synthesis

BACKGROUND

Narratives of recovery from mental health distress have played a central role in the establishment of the recovery paradigm within mental health policy and practice. As use of recovery narratives increases within services, it is critical to understand how they have been characterised, and what may be missing from their characterisation thus far. The aim of this review was to synthesise published typologies in order to develop a conceptual framework characterising mental health recovery narratives.

METHOD

A systematic review was conducted of published literature on the characteristics of mental health recovery narratives. Narrative synthesis involved identifying characteristics and organising them into dimensions and types; and subgroup analysis based on study quality, narrator involvement in analysis, diagnosis of psychosis and experience of trauma. The synthesis was informed by consultation with a Lived Experience Advisory Panel and an academic panel. The review protocol was pre-registered (Prospero CRD42018090188).

RESULTS

8951 titles, 366 abstracts and 121 full-text articles published January 2000-July 2018 were screened, of which 45 studies analysing 629 recovery narratives were included. A conceptual framework of mental health recovery narratives was developed, comprising nine dimensions (Genre; Positioning; Emotional Tone; Relationship with Recovery; Trajectory; Use of Turning Points; Narrative Sequence; Protagonists; and Use of Metaphors), each containing between two and six types. Subgroup analysis indicated all dimensions were present across most subgroups, with Turning Points particularly evident in trauma-related studies.

CONCLUSIONS

Recovery narratives are diverse and multidimensional. They may be non-linear and reject coherence. To a greater extent than illness narratives, they incorporate social, political and rights aspects. Approaches to supporting development of recovery narratives should expand rather than reduce available choices. Research into the narratives of more diverse populations is needed. The review supports trauma-informed approaches, and highlights the need to understand and support post-traumatic growth for people experiencing mental health issues.

"From that moment on my life changed": turning points in the healing process for men recovering from child sexual abuse

Recent research indicates that child sexual abuse often undermines the health of boys and men across the lifespan. However, some male survivors experience a turning point marking a positive change in their health trajectories and healing process. Although frequently discussed in reference to physical health problems or addictions, very little is known about turning points with respect to child sexual abuse for men. The purpose of this secondary qualitative analysis was to describe the different types of turning points experienced by male survivors who completed the 2010 Health and Well-Being Survey (N = 250). Using conventional content analysis, researchers identified seven types of turning points that were classified into three broad categories: influential relationships (professional and group support, personal relationships), insights and new meanings (cognitive realizations, necessity to change, spiritual transformation), and action-oriented communication (disclosure of CSA, pursuit of justice). Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

A hermeneutic phenomenological understanding of men's healing from childhood maltreatment

PURPOSE

To describe and interpret men's experience of healing from childhood maltreatment.

DESIGN

Hermeneutic phenomenological.

METHOD

In-depth interviews. Community-based purposive, maximum variation sampling approach. Recruitment occurred through posting flyers and advertisements. Verbatim data were analyzed and themes of the meaning of healing were identified.

FINDINGS

The meaning of healing was interpreted as "moving beyond suffering." Five themes were identified to capture the multidimensional nature of the phenomenon: (a) breaking through the masculine veneer, (b) finding meaning, (c) choosing to live well, (d) caring for the self using holistic healing methods, and (e) engaging in humanizing relationships.

CONCLUSIONS

Men who survived childhood maltreatment have needs to heal holistically mind, body, and spirit. Meeting their needs requires the provision of highly compassionate humanistic healing environments and healing-promotive nursing care.

The process leading to help seeking following childhood trauma

In this article we explore the process leading to help seeking following childhood trauma among women who were currently in treatment. We interviewed 13 participants from six treatment groups for clients exposed to human-inflicted traumas. Transcripts were analyzed using a hermeneutical-phenomenological approach. Help seeking was initiated after a prolonged period of time (13 to 58 years after first trauma exposure), during which participants relied heavily on a strategy of managing on their own. Self-management contributed to delays in help seeking, but was also an important resource. High levels of distress were reported prior to help seeking, often without help seeking being considered as an option. The participants sought help when encountering situational demands exceeding available resources, resulting in experiences of exhaustion and loss of control. We present a model of the help-seeking process, underlining the importance of respecting and exploring the individual process of seeking help when offering trauma-specific treatment.

Childhood experiences of perpetrators of child sexual abuse

PURPOSE

This study explored the childhood experiences of perpetrators of child sexual abuse.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A blend of narrative inquiry and phenomenology was employed. Interviews were conducted with 23 community-dwelling perpetrators (21 males, 2 females). The education of participants ranged from GED to PhD.

FINDINGS

There were four types of narratives: There Was No Love; Love Left; Love Was Conflated With Sex; and a Pretty Good Childhood. Chronic sorrow for a painful childhood was evident in most participants.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Cognitive-behavioral treatment may not be optimal for all perpetrators because it is not designed to facilitate recovery from early trauma and loss.

Stories from the road of recovery - How adult, female survivors of childhood trauma experience ways to positive change

The aim of this study was to explore how female survivors of childhood trauma who have sought treatment experience ways to positive change. Little knowledge exists regarding the first-person perspective of the recovery process following childhood trauma, and getting access to this perspective might contribute to better understanding of these processes, hence offering opportunities for health promotion. All clients (31, including 3 who dropped out) from six stabilization groups for women exposed to human-inflicted traumas were invited to participate in the study. Experiences of the recovery process were not restricted to the period of receiving treatment, and all clients who volunteered were included in the study. Qualitative, in-depth interviews with 13 consenting clients were carried out shortly after completion of the group treatment. All interviews were transcribed verbatim, and a hermeneutical-phenomenological approach to analysis was applied. The analysis resulted in five interrelated, but distinct main themes: finding new ways to understand one's emotions and actions, moving from numbness toward vital contact, becoming an advocate of one's own needs, experiencing increased sense of agency, and staying with difficult feelings and choices. The themes support, yet supplement trauma theory, by underlining the relationship between emotional contact and meaning-making, while downplaying the necessity of symptom elimination in the experience of recovery. The findings also underline that the active role trauma survivors play in their processes of recovery.

Child sexual abuse survivors with dissociative amnesia: what's the difference?

Although the issue of dissociative amnesia in adult survivors of child sexual abuse has been contentious, many research studies have shown that there is a subset of child sexual abuse survivors who have forgotten their abuse and later remembered it. Child sexual abuse survivors with dissociative amnesia histories have different formative and therapeutic issues than survivors of child sexual abuse who have had continuous memory of their abuse. This article first discusses those differences in terms of the moderating risk factors for developing dissociative amnesia (e.g., age, ethnicity, gender, etc.) and then mediating risk factors (e.g., social support, trait dissociativity, etc.). The differences between the two types of survivors are then explored in terms of treatment issues.

Complex posttraumatic stress disorder: voices of healing

In this article, we report on a phenomenological study of experiences of recovery of 7 women with histories of childhood maltreatment. We propose a model that recalls the Anglo-Franc etymological origins of rekeverer: to regain consciousness, health, or strength. Dimensions include development of a selfhood; tasks of connection and separation; regulation of overwhelming emotions; management of choices; and internalization of therapeutic relational dynamics. Based on the findings, we suggest that theory and research need to extend concepts of healing, add methodologies privileging victim/survivor voices, and revisit concepts such as neutrality and resistance as they apply to dissociative disorders. Practitioners should have specific training in trauma models, although they need to hold these theories lightly because therapeutic goals and pathways of change might well differ for each client. Integrated whole-of-government initiatives need to identify those at risk of abuse as early as possible, and provide response funding beyond assessment services.

Anger in the trajectory of healing from childhood maltreatment

When a girl is abused during childhood, she may not experience anger, only helplessness or numbness. Only later may the emotion of anger surface. Little is known about anger cognitions or behaviors as they occur across the years of the healing trajectory from childhood maltreatment. Data for the present secondary analysis were derived from a large narrative study of women thriving in adulthood despite childhood abuse. The purpose of this analysis was to examine the phenomenon of anger and its role in the recovery process of 6 midlife women. The 6 cases were purposefully selected because their interviews contained rich descriptions of anger experiences. Because each woman was interviewed 3 times over a 6- to 12-month period, 18 transcripts were available for in-depth examination. A typology was constructed, depicting 5 types of anger. Anger ranged from nonproductive, self-castigating behavior to empowering, righteous anger that enabled women to protect themselves from further abuse and to advocate for abused children. Study findings are relevant to extant theories of women's anger and feminist therapies.

Altruism in survivors of sexual violence: the typology of helping others

BACKGROUND

Sexual violence is a significant and prevalent problem that affects many people in the United States. Helping others is one way people cope with, or heal from, sexual violence.

OBJECTIVE

To develop of Typology of Helping Others describing how survivors of sexual violence engage in altruism.

STUDY DESIGN

Qualitative descriptive methods were used to describe how survivors of sexual violence engaged in altruism in response to their experiences with violence.

RESULTS

Helping others was a salient concern for most participants who experienced sexual violence. Participants indicated multiple and varied ways of helping others. Results also indicated that participants experienced some healing from their experiences before they were able to actively engage in, or be effective in, helping others.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinicians working with survivors of sexual violence should be attuned to the different ways survivors engage in altruism and the potential influences of race and gender on helping others.

Healing from childhood sexual abuse: a theoretical model

Childhood sexual abuse is a prevalent social and health care problem. The processes by which individuals heal from childhood sexual abuse are not clearly understood. The purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical model to describe how adults heal from childhood sexual abuse. Community recruitment for an ongoing broader project on sexual violence throughout the lifespan, referred to as the Sexual Violence Study, yielded a subsample of 48 women and 47 men who had experienced childhood sexual abuse. During semistructured, open-ended interviews, they were asked to describe their experiences with healing from childhood sexual abuse and other victimization throughout their lives. Constructivist grounded theory methods were used with these data to develop constructs and hypotheses about healing. For the Sexual Violence Study, frameworks were developed to describe the participants' life patterns, parenting experiences, disclosures about sexual violence, spirituality, and altruism. Several analytic techniques were used to synthesize the findings of these frameworks to develop an overarching theoretical model that describes healing from childhood sexual abuse. The model includes four stages of healing, five domains of functioning, and six enabling factors that facilitate movement from one stage to the next. The findings indicate that healing is a complex and dynamic trajectory. The model can be used to alert clinicians to a variety of processes and enabling factors that facilitate healing in several domains and to guide discussions on important issues related to healing from childhood sexual abuse.

Participatory dreaming: a unitary appreciative inquiry into healing with women abused as children

Unitary appreciative inquiry was used to explore healing in the lives of 11 women abused as children using a model of participatory dreaming. Aesthetics, imagery, and journaling were used in a participatory design aimed at the appreciation of healing in the lives of the participants as it related to the abuse. Using Cowling's theory of unitary healing, research and practice were combined within a unitary-transformative framework. Participatory dreaming was useful in illuminating the life patterning in the lives of the women and promoted the development of new knowledge and skills that led to change and transformation, both individually and collectively.

Understanding the Person through Narrative

Mental health nurses need to know their clients at depth, and to comprehend their social contexts in order to provide holistic care. Knowing persons through their stories, narratives they tell, provides contextual detail and person-revealing characteristics that make them individuals. Narratives are an everyday means of communicating experience, and there is a place for storytelling in nearly all cultures. Thus narrative is a culturally congruent way to ascertain and understand experiences. This means the nurse should ask questions such as “How did that come about?” versus why questions. A narrative approach stands in contrast to a yes/no algorithmic process in conversing with clients. Eliciting stories illustrates the social context of events, and implicitly provides answers to questions of feeling and meaning. Here we include background on narrative, insights from narrative research, and clinical wisdom in explaining how narratively understanding the person can improve mental health nursing services. Implications for theory, practice, and research are discussed.

Narrative methods in a study of trauma recovery

Multiple narrative perspectives can guide narrative research. The complexity of health narratives presents a significant challenge. Trauma recovery accounts are health narratives demonstrating successes as well as struggles. In this article, I describe a large-scale narrative study in which specific qualitative methods were combined to fit research aims, stories elicited, and emergent questions in the analysis process. Under my direction, an interdisciplinary team conducted this constructivist, feminist, narrative study describing the trauma recovery process. The study was focused on success or thriving in women surviving childhood maltreatment. I took an advocacy stance in favor of participants' interests, as is commensurate with a critical feminist standpoint. Through initial analyses the research team constructed a trauma recovery process termed "becoming resolute." Subanalyses were focused on key relationships, life trajectories, self-strategies, and perceptual changes. My purpose is to explain the various kinds and levels of analysis used here to provide options for others studying recovery narratives.

Life-course typology of adults who experienced sexual violence

Two qualitative methodologies were used to develop a life-course typology of individuals who had been exposed to sexual violence. Interview narratives of 121 adult women and men who participated in qualitative study of women's and men's responses to sexual violence provided the data. The authors combined a narrative approach (holistic-content and holistic-form analysis) to describe the life courses of the participants and a qualitative person-oriented approach (cross-case analysis) to identify meaningful subgroups within the total sample. The six groups are as follows: (a) life of turmoil, (b) life of struggles, (c) diminished life, (d) taking control of life, (e), finding peace in life, and (f) getting life back to normal. This work exemplifies a promising strategy for identifying subgroups of violence-exposed individuals within a heterogeneous sample. Such a typology could aid the development of treatment approaches that consider both the substance and the structure of an individual's life course, rather than target one specific type of violence.

Assessing historical abuse allegations and damages

Practitioners may be called upon to assess adults who have alleged child abuse as a minor and are seeking reparations. Such assessments may be used by the courts to determine harm and assess damages related to their claim or testimony. Our clinical/research team has conducted many such evaluations and reported the findings pertaining to the psychological harm stemming from historical abuse in published studies. We use the opportunity provided by this new section on Practical Strategies to describe the role of the assessor, and to provide details concerning our methods for preparing these assessments and reporting the findings for the purpose of civil or criminal actions. Specific recommendations for wording of written reports are provided.

Sense of Community as a Protective Factor against Long-Term Psychological Effects of Childhood Violence

This study uses a risk and resilience framework for conceptualizing the long-term effects of childhood family violence on mental health. It examines sense of community as a protective factor against adult psychological distress associated with experiences of physical or psychological violence in childhood from parents. Regression models are estimated using data from the 1995 National Survey of Midlife Development in the U.S. and from the 1996-97 National Study of Daily Experiences. Reported experiences of frequent psychological violence, regardless of the frequency of physical violence, is found to be positively associated with adult psychological distress. Adults' sense of community is found to moderate the association between reports of both frequent psychological and frequent physical violence in childhood from parents and adult psychological distress.

Thriving as becoming resolute in narratives of women surviving childhood maltreatment

The purpose of this feminist interpretive study was to portray the experience of women thriving after childhood maltreatment (CM) through personal narratives. An interdisciplinary team conducted multiple in-depth interviews of 44 women survivors of CM who identified themselves as successful and doing well. The interviews focused on "what worked" and "what did not" with the aim of exploring aftereffects of CM; strengths and strategies; interactions helpful in overcoming abuse; and related sociopolitical contexts. Narrative analyses revealed a distinct, dynamic process of becoming resolute characterized by six dimensions that were not sequential steps but characteristics, actions, and interactions. This study offers a new understanding of the experience of women gaining solid footing in their lives, the peace of knowing the abuse is over, and power to move in an upward trajectory.

The Sexuality of Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors

In this grounded theory study, a theoretical framework that depicts the process by which childhood sexual abuse (CSA) influences the sexuality of women and men survivors was constructed. Data were drawn from interview transcripts of 95 men and women who experienced CSA. Using constant comparison analysis, the researchers determined that the central phenomenon of the data was a process labeled Determining My Sexual Being, in which survivors moved from grappling with questions related to the nature, cause, and sexual effects of the abuse to laying claim to their own sexuality. Clinical implications are discussed.

Male-on-Male Rape of an Adult Man: A Case Review and Implications for Interventions

Male-on-male rape is a critical and timely topic for mental health nurses as they continue to improve their value to society. Only recently have scholars begun to address adult male sexual assault and rape survivorship. A reality for some of the men mental health nurses encounter in practice, male sexual assault and rape causes despair and suffering for which mental health nurses can help facilitate health and healing. As illustrated in a case review of male-on-male rape and selected literature, quality humanistic interpersonal relationships are deemed important for the survivor's health. J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc, 2009; 14(6), 454-461.

Nurturing natural resources: the ecology of interpersonal relationships in women who have thrived despite childhood maltreatment

Childhood maltreatment and its consequences are a public health issue. There continues to be a need for improving the lives and life prospects for survivors of child abuse. The important role that positive interactions can play was evident in a large study of women who considered themselves successful despite maltreatment. Interactions of import ranged from brief encounters with strangers to enduring relationships. Two distinct motifs emerged: The "Saw something in me" and "No matter what" relationships. Findings will be discussed within the context of extant theories with possible implications for researchers, practitioners, and careful, caring adults in any setting.