The Unacknowledged Cost of Child Sexual Abuse

Researchers have for long recognised that caregiver’s support for the survivor of child sexual abuse provides an effective platform for his/her recovery in mental health and functioning. However, there appears to be psychological impairment of caregivers’ parental functioning when a case of CSA breaks. This study investigated psychological experiences of both male and female caregivers of survivors of CSA who reported the abuse to authorities in Lusaka, Zambia. It was revealed that caregivers undergo distressful psychological changes upon learning of the abuse of their children, more so for female than male caregivers. The common symptomalogy of the distress included depression, sleeplessness, functional impairment, fear and anxiety, anger, grief, stigma and shame. Some caregivers apportioned blame to their children and were hostile toward them. The older the child, the more hostile the caregivers tended to be. Evidence of physical force and physical injuries was found to be associated with caregiver’s heightened psychosocial support for the survivor. The key recommendation is that interventions following an incident of CSA be targeted at both survivors and their caregivers.