Resilience in Non-Offending Mothers of Children Who Have Reported Experiencing Sexual Abuse

ABSTRACT

Growing evidence shows that non-offending mothers experience significant loss and trauma following their child reporting experiencing sexual abuse. Maternal support offered to sexually abused children following disclosure can be a crucial factor in children’s recovery. Although mothers are often seen as playing a central role in facilitating the recovery of their sexually abused child, there has been little focus on their own needs and profiles. This present study aimed to increase our understanding of the diversity of profiles of non-offending mothers of sexually abused children by exploring the differences in psychosocial traits of non-offending mothers (N = 68; age range 28–67 years) reporting higher and lower resilience.

The mediating role of these psychosocial factors on the relationship between resilience and psychological distress will also be explored. Results found that non-offending mothers in the higher resilience group reported higher levels of positive reappraisal, self-compassion, social support, and significantly lower levels of psychological distress compared to non-offending mothers in the lower resilience group. Additionally, multiple mediation analysis indicated positive reappraisal, self-compassion, and social support to be significant mediators of the relationship between resilience and psychological distress. Increased levels of self-compassion and social support were found to be predictive of lowered psychological distress, while increased positive reappraisal predicted increased psychological distress. The findings of the present study provide support for the targeting of the psychosocial factors such as self-compassion, social support, and positive reappraisal in interventions for non-offending mothers in an effort to promote resilience.

KEYWORDS:

• Child sexual abuse
• resilience
• positive reappraisal
• self-compassion
• social support
• psychological distress

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Cher J. McGillivray

Cher McGillivray is a PhD Scholar. She has completed a Graduate Diploma of Psychological Science and Masters of Psychology (Clinical) at Bond University where she also works as a tutor. She continues to work in private practice with research interests in trauma recovery and resilience with abused children and their families.

Aileen M. Pidgeon

Aileen Pidgeon is a Clinical Psychologist and A/Professor of Psychology at Bond University, Gold Coast. She has co-authored over 30 publications. Her PhD resulted in publishing and disseminating the Pathways Triple P-Positive Parenting Program for at risk families. This program is an internationally recognized program that is currently in use across 25 countries worldwide with 30,000 practitioners having delivered the intervention to many families. Dr. Pidgeon’s current research interest the role of mindfulness in cultivating resilience and well-being and reducing stress in university students, therapists working with at risk young people, and mothers of children who have experienced trauma. Dr. Pidgeon has developed and is currently evaluating the mindfulness-based program and app called MARST (Mindful Awareness Resilience Skills Training) with these populations.

Carol Ronken

Carol Ronken worked as a researcher and Associate Lecturer at Griffith University in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice before joining Bravehearts in early 2003. In 2011, she received an award from the Queensland Police Service Child Protection and Investigation Unit for her contribution to child protection. Carol also co-authored The Bravehearts Toolbox for Practitioners Working with Child Sexual Assault (Australian Academic Press, 2011). Carol is also currently a visiting fellow in the School of Justice, Faculty of Law, at Queensland University of Technology.

Catherine A. Credland-Ballantyne

Catherine Credland-Ballantyne has just completed a Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) at Bond University, where she also works as a research assistant. Catherine has an interest in posttraumatic growth and the positive personal attributes that support growth in the aftermath of a traumatic event. She hopes to continue her research via a Masters in Clinical Psychology.