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Screaming Body and Silent Healthcare Providers: A Case Study with a Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivor

Author

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  • Sigrun Sigurdardottir

    (School of Health Sciences, University of Akureyri, 600 Akureyri, Iceland)

  • Sigridur Halldorsdottir

    (School of Health Sciences, University of Akureyri, 600 Akureyri, Iceland)

Abstract

Stressful early life experiences cause immune dysregulation across the lifespan. Despite the fact that studies have identified childhood sexual abuse (CSA) survivors as a particularly vulnerable group, only a few attempts have been made to study their lived-experience of the physical health consequences of CSA. The aim of this study was to explore a female CSA survivor’s lived-experience of the physical health consequences of CSA and how she experienced the reactions of healthcare providers. Seven interviews were conducted with this 40-year-old woman, Anne, using a phenomenological research approach. Anne was still a young child (two to three years old) when her father started to rape her. Since her childhood, she has experienced complex and widespread physical health consequences such as repeated vaginal and abdominal infections, widespread and chronic pain, sleeping problems, digestive problems, chronic back problems, fibromyalgia, musculoskeletal problems, repeated urinary tract infections, cervical dysplasia, inflammation of the Fallopian tubes, menorrhagia, endometrial hyperplasia, chlamydia, ovarian cysts, ectopic pregnancies, uterus problems, severe adhesions, and ovarian cancer. Anne disclosed her CSA experience to several healthcare providers but they were silent and failed to provide trauma-informed care. Anne’s situation, albeit unique, might reflect similar problems in other female CSA survivors.

Suggested Citation

  • Sigrun Sigurdardottir & Sigridur Halldorsdottir, 2018. "Screaming Body and Silent Healthcare Providers: A Case Study with a Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivor," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:1:p:94-:d:125895
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Chartier, M.J. & Walker, J.R. & Naimark, B., 2009. "Health risk behaviors and mental health problems as mediators of the relationship between childhood abuse and adult health," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(5), pages 847-854.
    2. Gault-Sherman, Martha & Silver, Eric & Sigfúsdóttir, Inga Dóra, 2009. "Gender and the associated impairments of childhood sexual abuse: A national study of Icelandic youth," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(10), pages 1515-1522, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Sigrun Sigurdardottir & Sigridur Halldorsdottir, 2021. "Persistent Suffering : The Serious Consequences of Sexual Violence against Women and Girls, Their Search for Inner Healing and the Significance of the #MeToo Movement," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-14, February.
    2. Tsur, Noga & Najjar, Afnan Attrash & Katz, Carmit, 2023. "“When I was a child, the doctor advised me to have sex more gently”: The perceptions and experiences with the healthcare system as conveyed by adult survivors of child sexual abuse," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).
    3. David Cantón-Cortés & María Rosario Cortés & José Cantón, 2020. "Child Sexual Abuse and Suicidal Ideation: The Differential Role of Attachment and Emotional Security in the Family System," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-13, May.

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