Lived experiences of resilience for women who have experienced childhood sexual abuse: A systematic review of qualitative studies.

BACKGROUND

Child sexual abuse (CSA) can have detrimental, long-lasting consequences but effects are diverse, and resilience, or attainment of better-than-expected outcomes, is possible.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review synthesises qualitative research findings about lived experiences of resilience processes used by women who had been subjected to CSA.

METHODS

A comprehensive search was undertaken of major and minor article databases (e.g., PsychInfo, Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus) and Google Scholar, with hand searching of reference lists and forward searching of retrieved articles. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria (peer-reviewed qualitative or mixed methods studies written in English about experiences of resilience by women who had experienced CSA). Data extraction, quality appraisal, and thematic analysis were performed.

RESULTS

Thematic analysis generated several process-related resilience themes: distancing oneself from sexual abuse; building healthy interpersonal, community, and cultural connections; drawing on spiritual belief systems; reframing the sexual abuse; placing blame with the perpetrator; reclaiming self-worth; taking control of one's life; and pursuing meaningful goals. For some, it involved forgiveness of self and others, reclaiming one's sexuality, and/or fighting against diverse forms of oppression. There was much evidence that resilience was a dynamic, personal and social-ecological phenomenon.

CONCLUSION

Counsellors and other professionals can use these findings to help women affected by CSA explore, develop, and strengthen factors that support resilience. Future research could explore the experiences of resilience for women with different cultural backgrounds, socioeconomic status, religious and/or spiritual affiliations.