Deciding to disclose childhood sexual abuse The experiences of Taiwanese women with their non-offending mothers

Abstract

The support of non-offending mothers is important for daughters' adjustment to the experience of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). However, most child victims of CSA do not reveal their sexual abuse experience, and little is known about the impact of maternal reactions when daughters do disclose. The purpose of this study is to explore how Taiwanese women with a history of CSA look back on the disclosure of CSA and their mothers' reactions. A life history approach was used. Multiple in-depth interviews were conducted to collect retrospective narrative data from 11 voluntary participants in Taiwan. Two significant categories emerged: the decision to tell/not to tell their mothers in childhood and adolescence, and the decision to reveal CSA in adulthood. Implications of the findings for social work practice, limitations of the study, and recommendations for future research were also addressed.