Non-abusing mothers’ agency after disclosure of the child’s extra-familial sexual abuse
Date
2020
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Publisher
European Journal of Women's Studies
Abstract
This qualitative study analysed the agency of eight non-abusing mothers in the Turkish
Cypriot Community after disclosure that their child had been sexually abused by
someone outside the family. The aim was to discover how, after disclosure, such
mothers act to protect their children in the contexts of their family and community.
The data were gathered via semi-structured in-depth interviews and analysed using
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). In the nuclear family context, maternal
agency emerged in the form of motherhood skills, including emotionally supporting
the abused child, double-checking the child’s safety or limiting the child’s mobility, and
controlling the actions of adult sons. In the community context, maternal agency was
manifested in efforts to prevent men in the extended family or the abuser’s family
from concealing the abuse and to obtain informal support from others such as birth or
extended family members. The women were usually successful in hiding their reactions
or making decisions in their children’s best interest despite frequently having to cope
with the reality of living in a restrictive and patriarchal culture. The results emphasise
the need for working with the general public and professionals to change the culture
of silence and to improve the social support network for sexually abused children and
non-abusing family members, especially mothers.
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Keywords
International Resources, Cypress, non offending caregiver, child sexual abuse
Citation
Serin, H. (2020). Non-abusing mothers’ agency after disclosure of the child’s extra-familial sexual abuse. European Journal of Women's Studies, 1350506820944432.