Speaking With and Without Words—An Analysis of Foster Children’s Expressions and Behaviors That Are Suggestive of Prior Sexual Abuse
Date
2017
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of child sexual abuse
Abstract
This exploratory study reports on foster children’s informal selfdisclosures
of previously unknown histories of sexual abuse. Data
were collected from 40 children’s files, and an inductive thematic
analysis of verbal and behavioral expressions was conducted.
Findings suggest that foster children’s self-disclosures can be
fragmented, spontaneous, narrative, or triggered and often
occur during everyday activities in the foster family. The children
disclose their past by referring to the perpetrator or the severity
of the abuse or by acting out, mostly by reenacting sexual abuse
experiences. In addition, some children use childish vocabulary
focusing on genitals or sexual acts they were involved in or want
to be involved in. Last, some foster children seem to be linguistically
challenged to disclose that a female person abused them
or that they were forced to reciprocate sexually. This study adds
to the understanding of the complex process of child sexual
abuse disclosure in the context of foster care.
Description
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Article
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Keywords
non-verbal behavior, foster care, disclosure, language, research, child sexual abuse, International Resources, Netherlands
Citation
Wubs, D., Batstra, L., & Grietens, H. W. (2017). Speaking With and Without Words—An Analysis of Foster Children’s Expressions and Behaviors That Are Suggestive of Prior Sexual Abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 1-18.