Talwar, Shivangi;
Kennerley, Helen;
Jadhav, Sushrut;
Killaspy, Helen;
Sagar, Rajesh;
Appleton, Rebecca;
Billings, Jo;
(2025)
‘Sometimes I cry with that child’: experiences and views of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse on psychosocial treatment and support in India*.
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
, 16
(1)
, Article 2552532. 10.1080/20008066.2025.2552532.
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Abstract
Background: The high prevalence of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in India is a cause for concern. Survivors of CSA often experience psychosocial difficulties in their adult lives. Whilst their difficulties are partly recognised in India, there is a need for further exploration on the availability and access to support. Objectives: We explored the views and experiences of adult survivors of CSA in India on different types of treatment and support. Method: We conducted semi-structured interviews with adults who were sexually abused before the age of 18. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, followed by narrative analysis of two transcripts. Results: We interviewed 10 adult survivors of CSA in India. All participants were female with formal education. We conceptualised their recovery beginning with initial introspection and reliance, for example, on artistic and animal-assisted avenues. This is followed by seeking informal support, and, for some, seeking more formal support. Some also sought help through public figures, social media and Government initiatives and/or from their faith communities. We have further presented two narrative summaries explaining the genre, tone and core narrative of participants’ experiences. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that these adult female survivors of CSA in India predominantly relied on their own coping strategies in the absence of holistic support. This was pronounced due to the dearth of mental health and social care for those who have experienced CSA in India. Future research needs to focus on understanding the meaning and language of CSA to enable the development of culturally tailored interventions.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | ‘Sometimes I cry with that child’: experiences and views of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse on psychosocial treatment and support in India* |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1080/20008066.2025.2552532 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2025.2552532 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent. |
| Keywords: | Childhood sexual abuse; child sexual abuse; adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse; sexual violence; sexual abuse; complex posttraumatic stress disorder; qualitative study; reflexive thematic analysis; narrative analysis; India |
| 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 UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Division of Psychiatry > Epidemiology and Applied Clinical Research |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10214252 |
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