• ARTICLES, Special Section, XVIIth International Congress on PCP Australia July 2007

Diclosing childhood sexual assault in close relationships: The meanings and emotions women associate with their experiences and their lives now.

Maitland, H. A., Viney, L. L.

Keywords:
Women, childhood sexual assault, disclosure, recollections

Abstract:
The meanings and emotions women associate with disclosing childhood sexual assault within close relationships and their current lives, were explored, using a personal construct model proposing disclosure impacts on meaning making, willingness to tell, and relationships. Twenty three women accessing support services, provided narratives about their current life and disclosure, completed a disclosure questionnaire, the Social Support Questionnaire (Sarason, Levine, Basham and Sarason, 1983) and eight women (a Support Group) discussed their disclosures. Women’s recollections contained meanings about self, others, relationships, childhood sexual assault, invalidation, validation, reconstruction, and negative and positive emotions and the importance of listeners’ reactions to disclosure.