Abstract
South Africa is a country with alarming rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACE), with childhood incestuous abuse (CIA) as one of the most critical, silenced, and unreported crimes. CIA is one of the most traumatic and stressful life experiences which can result in survivors dealing with numerous psychological, behavioural, and physical challenges later in life. Survivors of CIA become physically and psychologically drained and destroyed across their lifespan (Sigurdardottir & Halldorsdottir, 2018). With the above said, the primary aim of this study was to explore the experiences of youth survivors of CIA. In order to acquire insight into the survivors’ lived experiences, this study adopted a qualitative approach, specifically, a qualitative phenomenological design. Furthermore, the data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews. Six survivors of CIA represented the sample size. They were recruited using two non-probability sampling strategies, namely, purposive and snowball sampling. The interviews were audio-recorded and later transcribed. For the purposes of this study, it was apt to analyse the data using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). IPA permitted the analysis of all cases, focusing on individual experiences with the commitment to understanding the unique lived experiences of youth survivors of CIA. Five superordinate themes emerged from the data analysis: the first dealt with the psychological and emotional repercussions of CIA; the second discussed the physical and behavioural effects; the third revealed how surviving CIA may affect future intimate and social relationships; the fourth focused on survivors’ perceptions of themselves, others and the world; and the last theme highlighted the coping strategies that survivors employ to manage these adversities. Overall, the findings of this study indicate that survivors of CIA encounter numerous repercussions which can be covered under the umbrella term of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD).
Keywords:
Incest, youth, survivors, complex trauma, lived experience, interpretative phenomenological analysis.