Jennifer Parker, Ph.D, LPC University of South Carolina Upstate Shauna Galloway-Williams, M.Ed, LPC Julie Valentine Center

1. Intergenerational Child
Sexual Abuse (CSA)
Jennifer Parker, Ph.D, LPC
USC Upstate
Shauna Galloway-Williams, M.Ed, LPC
Julie Valentine Center

2. Objectives
 Review current findings on intergenerational sexual
abuse
 Provide information regarding trauma informed
approaches for professionals working with families
and children who are victims of CSA

3. Prevalence
 Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) - difficult to determine
prevalence
 Prior studies in 1999 and 2000 along with crime
statistics estimated 1:4 girls and 1:6 boys
 Newer reports (D2L) suggest 1 in 10 overall
 Most children do not tell
 Less is known about the prevalence of
intergenerational CSA

4. Perpetrators of CSA
 Most are known to the victim
 Most are male
 Many perpetrators are juveniles – especially if victim young
child
 Small % of victims become perpetrators, however many
perpetrators were victims of CSA
 Mothers not typically perpetrators of CSA
 However, aspects of the mother are related to their child’s
vulnerability

5.  Mother
 past history
 34% - mothers of sexually abused children were CSA victims
 psychological problems
 depression, trauma symptoms, sociopathic symptoms
 substance abuse
 violent relationships
 has children with different fathers
 poor mother-child attachment
 lacks effective parenting skills
 poor attachment between grandmother and mother of
victim and disruption of care
Intergenerational Factors

6. ACE Study
 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)
 One of the largest studies to assess the relationship between child
maltreatment and health and well-being in adulthood
 Counts number of traumatic experiences reported
 Risk for many health problems increases with the number of
stressors
 In one study as many as 80% of young adults who experienced
CA were experiencing some form of psychosocial difficulty
http://acestudy.org/

7. ACE & Risk Factors
 Alcoholism and alcohol abuse
 Other drug use
 Depression
 Fetal death
 Health-related quality of life
 Heart disease
 Liver disease
 Pulmonary disease (COPD)

8. ACE & Risk Factors
 Risk for intimate partner violence
 Multiple sexual partners
 Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
 Smoking
 Suicide attempts
 Unintended pregnancies
 Early initiation of smoking
 Early initiation of sexual activity
 Adolescent pregnancy

9. Attachment Theory
 Enduring relationship between mother and child
 Gradually develops early in life
 Protection and security are primary components
 Child with secure attachment explores their environment
but stays close to mom for protection
 Internal working model (IWM) develops and becomes
the basis for later adult relationships

10. CA and Attachment
 Early trauma disrupts healthy attachment processes
 Effects brain development resulting in multiple risks
Physical health, learning, social relationships, low self-esteem, poor
emotional control
 When mom has history she may have inadequate internal
representation of healthy interpersonal relationships or of an
effective caregiver
 This increases risk for poor attachment with her children
 Becomes a model for future adult relationships

11. Secure Attachments
 Parental responsiveness to a child’s distress = secure
attachment
 Healthy attachment leads to emotional well-being and self
protection
 Healthy attachments can be a buffer and against
intergenerational transmission
 Important to work with family and build better bonds
 Research indicates the attachment relationship endures but
can be modified with therapy and positive life experiences

12. Emotional Intelligence (EI)
 Secure attachments builds higher EI
 EI associated with positive relationships
 Self-awareness
 Self-Control
 Social awareness
 Relationship management
 Self-efficacy
 Parental self-efficacy is harmed by child maltreatment, adult
attachment insecurities, and maternal depression

13. Letter from a Non Offending
Caregiver

14. Non Offending Caregivers
(NOCS)
 Understanding NOCs
 letter from NOC to DSS (Jess)
 Characteristics of NOCS
 Boundaries
 Parenting style
 Relationships

15. Non Offending Caregivers Needs
 Information
 Empathetic response
 Someone to talk to
 Someone to listen to them
 To know what happened
 To know this happens to other families
 To be treated with respect
 To know options available regarding custody, placement,
treatment and evaluation
 Resources

16. NOC Feelings
 Anger
 Sadness
 Hurt
 Loneliness
 Numb
 Rejected
 Fear
 Betrayal
 Loss of Control
 Guilt
 Shame
 Embarrassment
 Jealousy
 Anxiety
 Depression

17. NOC Losses
 Control (Family, Child, Self)
 Relationships
 Financial support
 Child Care
 Home
 Employment
 Social Support System
 Self

18. Stages of Grief and NOC Response to Disclosure of Abuse
Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance

19. Denial
 Denial of Facts
 Denial of Awareness
 Denial of Responsibility
 Denial of Impact
 Denial of Need for Treatment
Look at denial of all involved (NOC, Offender,
Child, Family, Community)

20. Anger
 Self
 Offender
 System
 Child
 Society
 God

21. Bargaining
 Minimizing
Facts, impact, information
 Negotiation
Situation, Relationship
 Questioning and Second Guessing

22. Depression
 Hopelessness
 Despair
 Feeling trapped
 Numb
 Feeling life and world is falling apart
 Guilt
 Shame
 Inadequacy
 Vulnerability

23. Acceptance
 Determination
 Increased Awareness
 Increased Understanding
 Growth
 Independence
 Hope
 This will not define my child or my family.

24. Assessing Protective Factors
and Breaking the Cycle
 Believes the child
 Identifies roles and responsibilities for abuse
 Identifies roles and responsibilities for
protection
 Relationship to the alleged offender
 Relationship to victim and siblings
 History of abuse and or trauma

25.  Support System
 Stressors
 Substance abuse
 Medical or Mental Health Problems
 Motivation to support (Self, court ordered, etc.)
 Understanding of impact of CSA on children
 Knows how to protect in the future

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