Talwar, Shivangi;
(2025)
Improving psychosocial interventions for adult survivors of
childhood sexual abuse in South Asia.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Background: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a known cause of emotional, behavioural and psychological difficulties in adulthood. South Asia has a high prevalence of CSA. Despite the need, research with adult survivors of CSA in this region is still in its infancy. I aimed to understand the current provision of treatment and support for adult survivors of CSA in South Asia, in order to provide recommendations on how current treatment and support could be adapted to meet the needs of survivors in South Asia, specifically India. Methods: I systematically reviewed and narratively synthesised published literature in South Asia on the needs of and treatments for adult CSA survivors. I then conducted a qualitative interview study with mental health professionals and key stakeholders in South Asia to explore their views on the needs of survivors, their own perspectives on current treatments and support for survivors, and the modifications potentially needed. I subsequently conducted another qualitative interview study with adult CSA survivors in India, exploring their experiences of treatment and support and their views on potential modifications. I analysed the qualitative data using reflexive thematic analysis. Finally, I co-developed guidance with professionals and survivors to help different professionals and sectors improve services for adult CSA survivors in India. Findings: There was limited literature on the needs of adult CSA survivors in South Asia and no studies on evaluating treatments for them. Adult CSA survivors experience a varied range of mental health difficulties, interpersonal issues, problems in disclosure and culture and region-specific issues. Survivors relied on their social networks for support, preferred psychological interventions over other treatments, and were likely to find value in seeking non-statutory help. Wider improvements in accessing affordable mental health services and information on CSA as well as specific modifications of psychological treatments, including their cultural validation are needed. Conclusion: My findings establish the foundation for future clinical, policy, and research work with adult CSA survivors in South Asia. It extends guidance for professionals, sectors and services to improve research, treatments and initiatives for survivors in India.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Improving psychosocial interventions for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse in South Asia |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2025. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Division of Psychiatry |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10206027 |
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