The re-enactment of childhood sexual abuse in maternity care: A qualitative study
Date
2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMC pregnancy and childbirth
Abstract
The process of pregnancy and birth are profound events that can be particularly challenging for
women with a history of childhood sexual abuse. The silence that surrounds childhood sexual abuse means that
few women disclose it and those caring for them will often not be aware of their history. It is known from
anecdotal accounts that distressing memories may be triggered by childbirth and maternity care but research data
on the subject are rare. This paper explores aspects of a study on the maternity care experiences of women who
were sexually abused in childhood that demonstrate ways that maternity care can be reminiscent of abuse. Its
purpose is to inform those providing care for these women.
Methods: The experiences of women were explored through in-depth interviews in this feminist narrative study.
The Voice-Centred Relational Method and thematic analysis were employed to examine interview data.
Results: Women sometimes experienced re-enactment of abuse through intimate procedures but these were
not necessarily problematic in themselves. How they were conducted was important. Women also experienced
re-enactment of abuse through pain, loss of control, encounters with strangers and unexpected triggers. Many
of these experiences were specific to the woman, often unpredictable and not necessarily avoidable. Maternity
care was reminiscent of abuse for women irrespective of whether they had disclosed to midwives and was not
necessarily prevented by sensitive care. ‘Re-enactment of abuse’ occurred both as a result of events that
involved the crossing of a woman’s body boundaries and more subjective internal factors that related to her
sense of agency.
Conclusions: As staff may not know of a woman’s history, they must be alert to unspoken messages and
employ ‘universal precautions’ to mitigate hidden trauma. Demonstrating respect and enabling women to
retain control is crucial. Getting to know women is important in the building of trusting relationships that
will facilitate the delivery of sensitive care and enable women to feel safe so that the re-enactment of abuse
in maternity care is minimised.
Description
item.page.type
Article
item.page.format
Keywords
maternity, abuse history, affects
Citation
Montgomery, E., Pope, C., & Rogers, J. (2015). The re-enactment of childhood sexual abuse in maternity care: a qualitative study. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 15(1), 194.