Experiences of sexual abuse may lead to religious struggles and affect a person's faith. This stu... more Experiences of sexual abuse may lead to religious struggles and affect a person's faith. This study focused on how victims of sexual abuse describe their relationships with God and with other parishioners. Our interest was in sexual abuse that had occurred outside the religious congregation, not abuse perpetrated by a minister or any other representative of the church. Interviews conducted with seven women and one man were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. The informants described a wavering relationship with God and with the congregation. They felt that God had betrayed and abandoned them, and they struggled with different aspects of anger. These emotions made the informants feel different from, and sometimes excluded from, the Christian community. Along with these feelings, however, the informants expressed a strong longing for God and a need to feel protected by the congregation. All informants described the effect the abuse had on their faith as essential to their trauma, and as an issue they needed to work through to learn how to live with their experiences.
All Christian believers listen to the words of God through a personal filter. This is also true f... more All Christian believers listen to the words of God through a personal filter. This is also true for victims of sexual abuse, who relate to God and the congregation out of the experience of having been sexually abused. The aim was to gain a deeper understanding of how individuals that had been sexually abused described their relation to God, as well as their relation to other members of the congregation. The respondents were seven women and one man. The interviews were analyzed in accordance with thematic inductive analysis. Some aspects were understood according to attachment theory. The respondents struggled with feelings of no longer belonging to the Christian community. They described hymns and rituals in Church as evoking memories of the abuse. They felt abandoned and betrayed by God who did not hear their prayers and stopped the abuse. Feelings of anger towards God as well as a longing for an intimate relationship with Him were described. There was a need to gain a new understa...
Clerics are more and more becoming identified as an important health and mental health resource, ... more Clerics are more and more becoming identified as an important health and mental health resource, and counseling now forms an important part of the ministerial role. At the same time, the effects of sexual abuse are more and more highlighted, including awareness of the consequences on faith. The aim of this presentation is to describe pastoral care for victims of sexual abuse; both from a care giver and a confidant perspective. Two different studies were conducted; one focusgroup study with clerics (N=15) and one interview study with individuals that had been sexually abused and sought pastoral care (N=8). Both focusgroups and interviews were analyzed in accordance with thematic inductive analysis. In the focusgroups, clerics talked about the difficulties when listening to stories of sexual abuse. The feelings provoked when caring for individuals that were/had been sexually abused, partly lead to a need to protect oneself. The self-protective strategies were described as a need to di...
International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 2006
There is almost a theoretical vacuum concerning sexuality and eroticism when it comes to sexual a... more There is almost a theoretical vacuum concerning sexuality and eroticism when it comes to sexual abuse towards children. This paper can be seen as an attempt to, in some degree, fill this vacuum. Various theories claim that sexual abuse is not primarily an act of sexuality. Instead, sexual abuse is motivated by aggression, hostility, revenge and a need to reclaim power and control. This paper, which is built upon in-depth interviews with 29 perpetrators of child sexual abuse, addresses the problem of a lacking sexual dimension. The perpetrators' resistance to talk about sexual acts and erotic feelings, as well as unwillingness among professionals to ask, will be discussed and the consequences this ''denial'' might have for the abused child. A deeper understanding of the dynamics behind sexual abuse towards children it is hoped will result in more efficient treatment methods, with the aim of reducing the risk of new perpetrations. A more profound understanding of concrete sexual actions directed towards the child will also be of value to the adult helping the exposed child to work through experiences of sexual abuse.
The capacity to manage affects is rooted in early interactions with caregivers, which in adulthoo... more The capacity to manage affects is rooted in early interactions with caregivers, which in adulthood are internalized as different attachment styles. Few studies have explored associations between all four attachment styles and symptoms. Our aim was to investigate the relations between the four attachment styles and psychological distress in a group of people with psychosis. In a cross-sectional study, associations between self-reported attachment style and symptoms in a psychosis group were explored. Attachment styles were measured with the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ) and symptoms were assessed with the revised version of the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90R) RESULTS: The analyses showed a significant positive association between preoccupied attachment and the severity of symptoms. Furthermore, the analyses indicated significant positive associations between preoccupied attachment and the subscales measuring depression, anxiety, interpersonal sensitivity, paranoia and psychoticism. We ...
The journal of pastoral care & counseling : JPCC, 2013
In this focus group study with clerics from the Church of Sweden, the Catholic Church, and the Fr... more In this focus group study with clerics from the Church of Sweden, the Catholic Church, and the Free Church Movement, experiences of pastoral care for victims of sexual abuse were explored. The material was analyzed using thematic analysis. The participants expressed a wish to offer the best care possible. However, insecurity, a perceived lack of psychological competences, and restrictions imposed by the vow of silence provoked self-protective strategies that may affect both clerics and confidants.
International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being, 2011
This study highlights experiences of psychiatric care described by patients diagnosed with psycho... more This study highlights experiences of psychiatric care described by patients diagnosed with psychosis. The aim was to investigate how patients, based on earlier experiences, described their wishes and needs regarding the psychiatric care system. Data comprised material from four focus groups; analysis used an inductive thematic approach. Relationships with staff emerged as a recurring theme. During periods of psychosis, patients needed staff to act as "parental figures," providing care, safety, and help in dealing with overwhelming stimulation from the outside word. In the ensuing struggle to devise a livable life, the need for relationships recurred. In this phase, staff needed to give their time, provide support through information, and mirror the patient's capacity and hope. The patient's trials were described as threatened by a lack of continuity and non-listening professionals. It was important for staff to listen and understand, and to see and respect the pati...
ABSTRACT Background: The co-occurrence of substance misuse and behavioral misuse such as excessiv... more ABSTRACT Background: The co-occurrence of substance misuse and behavioral misuse such as excessive food intake, sexual activities, gambling and exercise has been increasingly acknowledged in both research and treatment practice during the last decades. It has also been showed that behavioral misuse complicates substance abuse treatment, and that clients with such co-occurring difficulties have considerable treatment needs. Methodology: This study is based on interviews with six clients in substance abuse treatment, who also had a history of behavioral misuse. The interviews concerned the participants’ perception of their behavioral misuse and of themselves, and were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings and clinical implications: The participants perceived behavioral misuse as an escape from self-criticism and experiences of non-coherence. They also perceived relations and affects as overwhelming. Through behavioral misuse, relational and affective needs, as well as distressing self-experiences, were mitigated. The participants also described the efforts they had made to comprehend themselves. Their experiences were interpreted with respect to dissociation and concretization. It is suggested that during treatment, practitioners need to support client’s comprehension and their capacity to approach affects and relational needs, and in this process, dissociation and concretization need to be handled.
This study investigated the role of gender in the care for victims of sexual abuse within three S... more This study investigated the role of gender in the care for victims of sexual abuse within three Swedish Christian denominations. Questionnaires anchored by vignettes illustrating different abuse situations were answered by 421 clerics. The main findings were that female respondents apprehended the described situations as more likely to occur than male respondents did, and that levels of preparedness to offer pastoral care and belief in the likelihood of the situations to occur were higher when a female was the victim or a male was the perpetrator. Denominational differences were found concerning level of personal discomfort when hearing about the abuse.
ABSTRACT Consequences of sexual abuse are highly associated with psychological suffering. The min... more ABSTRACT Consequences of sexual abuse are highly associated with psychological suffering. The minister can be the first person a victim, belonging to a Christian congregation, turns to for support. This study investigated the reported readiness among ministers of the Church of Sweden to disclose ongoing sexual abuse and meet psychological as well as existential needs of victims. Questionnaires were administered to ministers in all dioceses. A majority, 77%, reported that they as professionals had met victims of sexual abuse and they estimated their readiness for this task as high. However, there is still a need to promote further an accepting attitude and to establish cooperation with social authorities and non-confessional professionals.
ABSTRACT This study describes the background, individual characteristics, and offending behavior ... more ABSTRACT This study describes the background, individual characteristics, and offending behavior of 45 adolescent males who have sexually offended. This group was also compared to adolescents from the general population. The data sources were intake assessment information and questionnaires. Family problems and neglect were common. Having separated parents and growing up in large families or foster-homes discriminated the group from the general population of Swedish adolescent males. The group scored higher than norm data regarding anger, depression, and disruptive behavior. They showed a wish to present themselves in a positive way and they were less open concerning sexuality than a comparison group. There were overall few significant differences between the target group and the comparison groups. Future studies need to explore offender sub-groups; specifically how and why problematic backgrounds affect children differently. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Despite problems of validity, self-report measurements are used in clinical practice and research... more Despite problems of validity, self-report measurements are used in clinical practice and research. The aim here was to compare self-ratings by adolescent males who had sexually offended with assessments of the same adolescents made by professionals. Results of two self-report questionnaires were compared with staff estimates. It was assumed that observability of behaviour, social desirability of the adolescents' responses, intellectual
The main focus of this research was on sexually abused individuals’ experiences and their percept... more The main focus of this research was on sexually abused individuals’ experiences and their perceptions of the benefits and shortcomings of pastoral care, including their experiences of raising faith-related issues in psychotherapy. Our interest was upon sexual abuse that occurred outside religious congregations, that is, that was not perpetrated by a minister or a representative of the Church. Interviews were conducted with seven women and one man, and transcripts were analyzed according to inductive thematic analysis. The informants described their struggle to get help, their difficulty in raising the topic of sexual abuse in pastoral care, their need to be recognized, their feelings of ambiguity, and their sometimes contradictory needs. They described their struggles with faith, their need to express their doubts, and their wish not to be rushed toward forgiveness. It was important to the informants that pastoral caregivers be aware of their therapeutic limits and be willing to ref...
Experiences of sexual abuse may lead to religious struggles and affect a person's faith. This stu... more Experiences of sexual abuse may lead to religious struggles and affect a person's faith. This study focused on how victims of sexual abuse describe their relationships with God and with other parishioners. Our interest was in sexual abuse that had occurred outside the religious congregation, not abuse perpetrated by a minister or any other representative of the church. Interviews conducted with seven women and one man were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. The informants described a wavering relationship with God and with the congregation. They felt that God had betrayed and abandoned them, and they struggled with different aspects of anger. These emotions made the informants feel different from, and sometimes excluded from, the Christian community. Along with these feelings, however, the informants expressed a strong longing for God and a need to feel protected by the congregation. All informants described the effect the abuse had on their faith as essential to their trauma, and as an issue they needed to work through to learn how to live with their experiences.
All Christian believers listen to the words of God through a personal filter. This is also true f... more All Christian believers listen to the words of God through a personal filter. This is also true for victims of sexual abuse, who relate to God and the congregation out of the experience of having been sexually abused. The aim was to gain a deeper understanding of how individuals that had been sexually abused described their relation to God, as well as their relation to other members of the congregation. The respondents were seven women and one man. The interviews were analyzed in accordance with thematic inductive analysis. Some aspects were understood according to attachment theory. The respondents struggled with feelings of no longer belonging to the Christian community. They described hymns and rituals in Church as evoking memories of the abuse. They felt abandoned and betrayed by God who did not hear their prayers and stopped the abuse. Feelings of anger towards God as well as a longing for an intimate relationship with Him were described. There was a need to gain a new understa...
Clerics are more and more becoming identified as an important health and mental health resource, ... more Clerics are more and more becoming identified as an important health and mental health resource, and counseling now forms an important part of the ministerial role. At the same time, the effects of sexual abuse are more and more highlighted, including awareness of the consequences on faith. The aim of this presentation is to describe pastoral care for victims of sexual abuse; both from a care giver and a confidant perspective. Two different studies were conducted; one focusgroup study with clerics (N=15) and one interview study with individuals that had been sexually abused and sought pastoral care (N=8). Both focusgroups and interviews were analyzed in accordance with thematic inductive analysis. In the focusgroups, clerics talked about the difficulties when listening to stories of sexual abuse. The feelings provoked when caring for individuals that were/had been sexually abused, partly lead to a need to protect oneself. The self-protective strategies were described as a need to di...
International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 2006
There is almost a theoretical vacuum concerning sexuality and eroticism when it comes to sexual a... more There is almost a theoretical vacuum concerning sexuality and eroticism when it comes to sexual abuse towards children. This paper can be seen as an attempt to, in some degree, fill this vacuum. Various theories claim that sexual abuse is not primarily an act of sexuality. Instead, sexual abuse is motivated by aggression, hostility, revenge and a need to reclaim power and control. This paper, which is built upon in-depth interviews with 29 perpetrators of child sexual abuse, addresses the problem of a lacking sexual dimension. The perpetrators' resistance to talk about sexual acts and erotic feelings, as well as unwillingness among professionals to ask, will be discussed and the consequences this ''denial'' might have for the abused child. A deeper understanding of the dynamics behind sexual abuse towards children it is hoped will result in more efficient treatment methods, with the aim of reducing the risk of new perpetrations. A more profound understanding of concrete sexual actions directed towards the child will also be of value to the adult helping the exposed child to work through experiences of sexual abuse.
The capacity to manage affects is rooted in early interactions with caregivers, which in adulthoo... more The capacity to manage affects is rooted in early interactions with caregivers, which in adulthood are internalized as different attachment styles. Few studies have explored associations between all four attachment styles and symptoms. Our aim was to investigate the relations between the four attachment styles and psychological distress in a group of people with psychosis. In a cross-sectional study, associations between self-reported attachment style and symptoms in a psychosis group were explored. Attachment styles were measured with the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ) and symptoms were assessed with the revised version of the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90R) RESULTS: The analyses showed a significant positive association between preoccupied attachment and the severity of symptoms. Furthermore, the analyses indicated significant positive associations between preoccupied attachment and the subscales measuring depression, anxiety, interpersonal sensitivity, paranoia and psychoticism. We ...
The journal of pastoral care & counseling : JPCC, 2013
In this focus group study with clerics from the Church of Sweden, the Catholic Church, and the Fr... more In this focus group study with clerics from the Church of Sweden, the Catholic Church, and the Free Church Movement, experiences of pastoral care for victims of sexual abuse were explored. The material was analyzed using thematic analysis. The participants expressed a wish to offer the best care possible. However, insecurity, a perceived lack of psychological competences, and restrictions imposed by the vow of silence provoked self-protective strategies that may affect both clerics and confidants.
International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being, 2011
This study highlights experiences of psychiatric care described by patients diagnosed with psycho... more This study highlights experiences of psychiatric care described by patients diagnosed with psychosis. The aim was to investigate how patients, based on earlier experiences, described their wishes and needs regarding the psychiatric care system. Data comprised material from four focus groups; analysis used an inductive thematic approach. Relationships with staff emerged as a recurring theme. During periods of psychosis, patients needed staff to act as "parental figures," providing care, safety, and help in dealing with overwhelming stimulation from the outside word. In the ensuing struggle to devise a livable life, the need for relationships recurred. In this phase, staff needed to give their time, provide support through information, and mirror the patient's capacity and hope. The patient's trials were described as threatened by a lack of continuity and non-listening professionals. It was important for staff to listen and understand, and to see and respect the pati...
ABSTRACT Background: The co-occurrence of substance misuse and behavioral misuse such as excessiv... more ABSTRACT Background: The co-occurrence of substance misuse and behavioral misuse such as excessive food intake, sexual activities, gambling and exercise has been increasingly acknowledged in both research and treatment practice during the last decades. It has also been showed that behavioral misuse complicates substance abuse treatment, and that clients with such co-occurring difficulties have considerable treatment needs. Methodology: This study is based on interviews with six clients in substance abuse treatment, who also had a history of behavioral misuse. The interviews concerned the participants’ perception of their behavioral misuse and of themselves, and were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings and clinical implications: The participants perceived behavioral misuse as an escape from self-criticism and experiences of non-coherence. They also perceived relations and affects as overwhelming. Through behavioral misuse, relational and affective needs, as well as distressing self-experiences, were mitigated. The participants also described the efforts they had made to comprehend themselves. Their experiences were interpreted with respect to dissociation and concretization. It is suggested that during treatment, practitioners need to support client’s comprehension and their capacity to approach affects and relational needs, and in this process, dissociation and concretization need to be handled.
This study investigated the role of gender in the care for victims of sexual abuse within three S... more This study investigated the role of gender in the care for victims of sexual abuse within three Swedish Christian denominations. Questionnaires anchored by vignettes illustrating different abuse situations were answered by 421 clerics. The main findings were that female respondents apprehended the described situations as more likely to occur than male respondents did, and that levels of preparedness to offer pastoral care and belief in the likelihood of the situations to occur were higher when a female was the victim or a male was the perpetrator. Denominational differences were found concerning level of personal discomfort when hearing about the abuse.
ABSTRACT Consequences of sexual abuse are highly associated with psychological suffering. The min... more ABSTRACT Consequences of sexual abuse are highly associated with psychological suffering. The minister can be the first person a victim, belonging to a Christian congregation, turns to for support. This study investigated the reported readiness among ministers of the Church of Sweden to disclose ongoing sexual abuse and meet psychological as well as existential needs of victims. Questionnaires were administered to ministers in all dioceses. A majority, 77%, reported that they as professionals had met victims of sexual abuse and they estimated their readiness for this task as high. However, there is still a need to promote further an accepting attitude and to establish cooperation with social authorities and non-confessional professionals.
ABSTRACT This study describes the background, individual characteristics, and offending behavior ... more ABSTRACT This study describes the background, individual characteristics, and offending behavior of 45 adolescent males who have sexually offended. This group was also compared to adolescents from the general population. The data sources were intake assessment information and questionnaires. Family problems and neglect were common. Having separated parents and growing up in large families or foster-homes discriminated the group from the general population of Swedish adolescent males. The group scored higher than norm data regarding anger, depression, and disruptive behavior. They showed a wish to present themselves in a positive way and they were less open concerning sexuality than a comparison group. There were overall few significant differences between the target group and the comparison groups. Future studies need to explore offender sub-groups; specifically how and why problematic backgrounds affect children differently. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Despite problems of validity, self-report measurements are used in clinical practice and research... more Despite problems of validity, self-report measurements are used in clinical practice and research. The aim here was to compare self-ratings by adolescent males who had sexually offended with assessments of the same adolescents made by professionals. Results of two self-report questionnaires were compared with staff estimates. It was assumed that observability of behaviour, social desirability of the adolescents' responses, intellectual
The main focus of this research was on sexually abused individuals’ experiences and their percept... more The main focus of this research was on sexually abused individuals’ experiences and their perceptions of the benefits and shortcomings of pastoral care, including their experiences of raising faith-related issues in psychotherapy. Our interest was upon sexual abuse that occurred outside religious congregations, that is, that was not perpetrated by a minister or a representative of the Church. Interviews were conducted with seven women and one man, and transcripts were analyzed according to inductive thematic analysis. The informants described their struggle to get help, their difficulty in raising the topic of sexual abuse in pastoral care, their need to be recognized, their feelings of ambiguity, and their sometimes contradictory needs. They described their struggles with faith, their need to express their doubts, and their wish not to be rushed toward forgiveness. It was important to the informants that pastoral caregivers be aware of their therapeutic limits and be willing to ref...
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