THE PROCESS OF DISCLOSURE OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE: OLDER ADULT WOMEN: A PILOT STUDY

Abstract

A pilot study was conducted in response to the paucity of research describing the disclosure of childhood sexual trauma for older adult women. This research sought to provide a tentative base for an understanding of the process of disclosure of childhood sexual abuse for older adult women through a descriptive, client centred approach. In-depth interviews were carried out with ten participants. These included an older adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse, six health and social service practitioners who had received disclosures, and three who strongly suspected their clients had been sexually abused as children. Qualitative analysis of verbatim transcripts of the interviews revealed elements, themes and core categories of factors relating to the process of disclosure for older women. Measures of internal consistency and intercoder reliability of the analysis of the data revealed moderate reliability. The main findings of this study suggest the process of disclosure of childhood sexual abuse for older adult women, when in receipt of health or social service care, is a function of her context(s) and life experiences. The practitioner with whom she comes into contact was found to represent an essential aspect of the current context and practitioner variables associated with the process of disclosure of childhood sexual abuse for older adult women are described. The findings of this study are presented in a descriptive format supported by summary tables. A context model of the process of disclosure of for older adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse is presented in the discussion. This pilot study appears to be the first research which has focussed specifically on the process of disclosure of childhood sexual abuse for older women. Through the words of an older adult survivor of childhood sexual trauma, and practitioners who have worked with older women who have disclosed sexual abuse during childhood, a unique contribution to an understanding of what influences older women to begin to tell of their experiences has been possible. The findings of this pilot study are tentatively informative for practitioners and researchers interested in the needs of survivors of sexual abuse during childhood, and older adult women.