Coping with Survivors and Surviving

What happens to the survivors of child sexual abuse in its aftermath? how do parents and teachers cope with children who have suffered abuse? these are the questions Julie Skinner investigates in her detailed examination of the subject, which is developed from a qualitative study of the effects of child sexual abuse on children, mothers and teachers. In her interviews with these groups, she focuses on: the family life of the survivors and welfare services; the response of mothers and welfare services; how all those involved coped at the time of the disclosure and during its aftermath; the issues and tensions which were resolved and those which have remained unresolved. The author analyses these different and often conflicting perspectives, placing them in the context of the literature on coping with trauma, and psychoanalytic and sociological theories on the mother-child relationship. She develops this to create a model for exploring the ways in which interaction may affect perceptions and outcomes, suggesting that mothers and teachers may be seen as secondary victims of child sexual abuse. Emphasising the necessity of support for all those involved in such cases, Julie Skinner draws out the implications for welfare services and makes recommendations for how they can be improved.