"Speaking of Mothers..." How Does the Literature Portray Mothers Who Have a History of Child Sexual Abuse?

• NCJ Number: 215371
• Journal: Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 15 Issue: 2 Dated: 2006 Pages: 57-74
• Author(s): Jan Breckenridge
• Date Published: 2006
• Length: 18 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study explored how the research literature portrayed mothers of child sexual abuse victims who themselves had histories of child sexual abuse.

Abstract

Overall, a thematic reading of the research literature indicated that assumptions were made about the competency and capacity of their mothering, particularly their capacity to support their children through their own victimization experiences. Additionally, the literature was found to focus too narrowly on the effects of the mother’s childhood sexual abuse to the exclusion of other factors influencing childhood experiences and difficulties. The literature review also found that the literature is increasingly cognizant of the fact that mothers with histories of childhood sexual abuse are not a homogenous group and that there are multiple ways in which their childhood sexual abuse may influence how they respond to and support their child upon the child’s disclosure of sexual abuse. The author cautions that researchers should broaden their inquiries to consider other factors that might influence a mother’s support to her child. Future research should build on the emerging literature that focuses on the parenting success of survivor mothers, including a focus on their resilience and skills in order to inform effective interventions. It is also necessary to develop a more thorough understanding of the non-offending parent who assumes responsibility for caring for the sexually abused child whether they have a history of child sexual abuse or not. The literature review focused on three main areas of research: studies of intergenerational transmission of child sexual assault from mothers to their children; studies on the competency and capacity of mothers with a history of child sexual abuse to support their children generally and at the time of disclosure; and studies of the increased stress of mothers at the time of their child’s sexual abuse disclosure and the effects of that stress on their capacity to support the child. References