How Past Victims of Child Abuse Struggle to Form Long Term Intimate Relationships - Research Proposal Example

 HOW PAST VICTIMS OF CHILD ABUSE STRUGGLE TO FORM LONG TERM INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS Abstract The present research proposal aims to discuss the struggle made by the past child abuse victims while developing intimate relationships with other members of society in their grown years. The proposal will discuss the circumstances that pave the way towards the development of their distrust on society, and the process that leads towards the restoration of the trust in the members of society. The study will answer the question of: whether the attention and dedicated behaviour of the family and counsellors may restore the adolescent victims in developing their relationships with the social environment? The research will explore the causes, circumstances and consequences of the child victimisation as well as the complexity of the rehabilitation process to prepare them lead a normal life for the future years to come. The section Literature View will elaborate the previous studies have been conducted on the same or similar topics. The methodology section will explain the research procedure adopted for the present study, where the questions involved in the study will also be included in it. Family serves as the most fundamental social institution, where children are born and brought up, as well as they seek every financial and emotional support and comfort. The present study will explore the significant role played by the family members in the rehabilitation process of the adolescent victims in re-establishing the intimate relationships with society. Additionally, the proposal will also identify the role of the counsellors in emitting the bitter memories of the past from the minds of the victims, so that they could lead a normal life as they had been doing before the mishap happened with them. There certainly exists a nefarious community of psychologically ill and mentally retarded people that makes these innocent flowers of Nature as the prey to their physical strength or sexual lust or both. Being weak, feeble and delicate both mentally and physically, the poor children are not in a position to defend themselves from he cruel and awkward clutches of the stone-hearted adults and criminals. Consequently, they turned out to be the prey to child abuse and victimisation. Child abuse and molestation includes mental, emotional and physical torture, sexual exploitation, battering, humiliating, insulting and raping of the children. Hence, it is not confined to the rape of the children; on the contrary, passing insulting remarks, displaying of humiliating frowns and discouraging them from getting involved into healthy and positive activities of their choice also include in the child abuse. “Child abuse is legally defined as a physical injury which is inflicted by other than accidental means on a child by another person; sexual abuse, including both sexual assault and sexual exploitation. It also includes wilful cruelty or unjustifiable punishment of a child, cruel or inhuman corporal punishment or injury, neglect, including both severe and general neglect.” (Lungren, 2007, p.1) Aims & Objectives: The main objectives of the present study include: 1. To discover the impact of child abuse on the socialisation process of the adolescences, and how their fears are related to the same victimisation 2. To identify the variation, if any, in respect of undergoing the violence the children undergo as well as the fear about such violent actions 3. To find out the reaction of such nefarious torturous actions on different children committed by the offenders committed against the children belonging to different age groups 4. To identify the relationship between the victim and the criminal within the social set up where the violence is being exercised 5. To discover the causes behind the assaults and battering exercised at domestic and social level Literature Review: Valentine & Feinauer (1993) conducted their study carrying the title “Resilience Factors associated with Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse.” The researchers have discovered the grave consequences of child abuse in the mature years of the victims. The researchers highlight how the hapless victims of sexual abuse undergo sheer feelings of humiliation, shame, disgrace and misery, which add to the psychological trauma of these children, and hence serve as great hurdle on their way to developing intimate relationships with new people on the one hand, and the community to which the offender belonged to on the other. Consequently, the past victims are unable to scratch the painful memories of molestation from their sub-conscious, and thus become victim of mental retardation and emotional collapse for the future years to come. The researchers have focused their study on the female victims only, where they have interviewed twenty two female past victims. According to their findings, though the family, friends, mentors and counsellors play imperative role in respect of the recovery of the adolescent victims from the trauma they are experiencing, yet complete rehabilitation of the victims appear to be long and arduous effort indeed. The researchers have refuted the very disbelief and misconception that complete rehabilitation is almost a dream for the victims, as the dreadful circumstances which they had observed at the hands of the child molester pricks their mind consciously and unconsciously, which shatters their confidence level, and challenges their abilities and skills to a great extent. It is therefore the female past victims of sexual abuse are fearful of getting married and lead a happy life with a male partner. On the contrary, help from parents, siblings, peers, teachers and professional counsellors eliminates fear and anxiety from the minds and personalities of the past victims altogether. Consequently, they display their skills and proficiency at domestic and professional scales without exhibiting the slightest image of the mishap that once had tried to ruin their future and life as well. Hence, “although the incidence and long-term effects of childhood sexual and physical abuse are thought by most clinicians and researchers to be significant, some have suggested that the methodology and samples used in such studies may obscure or confound the actual relationship between child maltreatment and its potential effects. Among criticisms offered the fact that most studies examine clinical samples.” (Rind, Tromovitch, & Bauserman, 1998, p. 24) Irish et al. (2010) carried out their study with the topic “Long-term Physical Health Consequences of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Meta-analytic Review”, in which they have discussed the affects of sexual abuse on the physical health of the past victims of adolescent molestation. The researchers have worked on six health dimensions including general physical health, gastrointestinal (GI) health, gynaecologic or reproductive health, pain, cardiopulmonary symptoms, and obesity. The researchers thoroughly interviewed the past victims, and examined their health reports, which viewed that past victimisation created obstacles on the way of the victims towards a healthy and vigorous life. The research sought significant variation in the effects of the molestation, as the outcomes vary from person to person, yet overall health condition of the victims of sexual abuse did not appear to be satisfactory one. Lipovsky (1997) has conducted her research under the title “Treatment of child victims of child abuse and neglect”, where she declares child abuse as a threatening social problem that is challenging the socialisation process of the children at large. Conducted her study on the population belonging to South Carolina, Lipovsky submits to state that the curse of child abuse is universal in its nature that creates several short-term and long-term problems among victims in its wake. The most prominent short-term problems include fear and anxiety, sexualised behaviours, nightmares, social withdrawal or isolation, sleep problems and others, while long-term disorders the innocent victims undergo are depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, suicidality, sexual dysfunctions, interpersonal difficulties and Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). (1997, p.2) The recovery of the victims, according to the researcher, is entirely reliant upon the nature, intensity and even repetition of the heinous crime, which affects upon the mind of the adolescent on the foundation of the brutality committed upon them. The researcher views neglecting of the victimised children highly dreadful, as it not only increases sheer aggression in the personality of the victim, but also drags him into the world of perversion, delinquency and crimes. The researcher suggests different treatment procedures for different victims, which entirely depends upon the severity of the crime inflicted upon them. Lipovsky also recommends therapeutic treatment procedure for the patients suffering from high degree of victimisation. “It is recommended that a child be seen for a thorough assessment of current functioning following disclosure or discovery of abuse/neglect. The assessment should address multiple areas of functioning. The child’s family situation prior to and following disclosure should also be assessed.” (Lipovsky, 1997, p.4) Briere (2002) has conducted his research under the title “Treating adult survivors of severe childhood abuse and neglect”, where the researcher has concentrated upon psychological neglect of the adults during the childhood. A large number of the children are unable to obtain the proper attention of their elders. Similarly, they also experience isolation and loneliness after getting victimized of various offences against them. Since neglecting the child invites negative psychological impacts upon their minds, there appears to be emotional gap between children and parents. Under such a precarious state of affairs, children are unable to convey to the parents the crime has been exercised against them. As a result, they turn psychologically isolated, and the prey to the state of intense isolation and emotional collapse subsequently. “One of the earliest impacts of abuse and neglect is thought to be on the child’s internal representations of self and other. These representations generally arise in the context of the early parent-child relationship, wherein the child makes inferences based on how he or she is treated by his or her caretakers.” (Briere, 2002, p.3) Consequently, there remain flaws and shortcomings in their personalities, which remain intact in their grown years too, and add to their miseries, as they are unable to enter into interaction with other members of society. The researcher vehemently looks for dedicated attending of the children in order to escape and avoid any shortcoming in their personality for the future years to come. “The quality and valence of these core schemas intrinsically affect the individual’s later capacity to form and maintain meaningful attachments with other people. Such individuals may find themselves in conflictual or chaotic relationships later in life, may have problems with forming intimate adult attachments, and may engage in behaviours that are likely to threaten or disrupt close relationships with others.” (Briere, 2002, p.6) Since socialisation is a complicated phenomenon, parents require proper skills and education for the adequate brought up of the children. The parents can hire the services of the therapists and counsellors in order to bring back the victimised children out of their misery and retardation. Theorists view socialisation as an extremely technical and careful activity that not only relies upon the complete dedication of the parents, guardians, supervisors or nurses, but also they have to keep a constant eye on the children in order to protect them from becoming victim of any ill-natured person at home or outside the residence. The role of stepfather and uncles should particularly taken into account, so that the children could be protected from the hands of the corrupt and cruel members of society. Eminent feminist writer Dorothy Alison in her famous work Survival is Least of My Desires (2005) has pathetically discussed the misconducts, mishandlings and malpractices committed by her stepfather, who started raping Alison for six long years from the age of five years. It not only created serious feelings of hatred and abhorrence for the entire man folk, and she recognised herself as the arch-supporter of lesbian rights. Thus, child abuse not only crushed her personality, but also she could not come out of the mental trauma she had experienced in her early childhood, as she argues that when her stepfather beat her, I pulled so deeply into herself she lived only in her eyes; her eyes that watched the shower sweat on the bathroom walls, the pipes under the sink, my blood on the porcelain toilet seat, and the buckle of his belt as it moved through the air. (Allison, 2005, p. 36) Deuba and Rana (2001) conducted their study with the title “A Study on the Psycho-Social Impacts of Violence against Women and Girls with Special Focus on Rape, Incest and Polygamy”, in which the researchers have highlighted the psychological collapse the children undergo after becoming prey to incest rape at the hands of the male family members. The negative psychological impact of incest on the victim is even more intense in any other form of sexual violence. Not only is the guilt of having participated, willing or forcibly, in a sexual relationship with a blood or close relative very high, but the victim or even the winning partner resultingly harbours a lot of very negative feelings about themselves. (Deuba and Rana, 2001, p.12) The authors are of the view that the child victims are facing such a perturbed state of affairs in the aftermath of the rape that they start abhorring themselves and their family as well, and seek relief in drugs consumption and chemical dependency outside their residences. Thus, such horrible and obnoxious state of affairs is responsible for weakening the foundations of society. The authors look for the immediate steps to be taken towards the eradication of domestic sexual and physical assaults in order to protect the social fabrics for the future years to arrive. Child Welfare information Gateway has compiled a comprehensive report on the subject of physical, psychological, behavioural and societal abuses inflicted upon the adolescents, according to which “an estimated 905,000 children were victims of child abuse or neglect in 2006 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). While physical injuries may or may not be immediately visible, abuse and neglect can have consequences for children, families, and society that last lifetimes, if not generations.” (CWIG, 2008, p.1) The report exclusively throws light upon the grave consequences of different types of tortures and abuses the adolescents have to tolerate, which make them unable to perform their individual and professional duties and obligations in a proper way. Although the impact of physical torture is also very grave, yet emotional and sexual tortures leave indelible imprints on the very mind of the adolescents, which go side by side the victims throughout their life. Consequently, they display extraordinary depression, anxiety and fear in their everyday life even during their grown years. Methodology The researcher aims to select the universe for the future research from the database of the statistical bureau of crimes as well as from the therapeutic centres. The sample will be consisted of twenty five respondents/participants, where fifteen females and ten males will be interviewed. The division and percentage of the respondents is on the basis of the percentage of the victims according to gender. The researcher will explore the potential and probability of the developing of long term relationship at domestic, social and occupational scales. The researcher will develop the interview schedule in order to explore the role of the family and counsellors during the rehabilitation process of the past victims. Quota/non-probability sampling will be implied to represent different socioeconomic classes, age groups and genders for the present study. The research will be comprised of the persons from middle and lower classes. The researcher will divide the research process into two types of victims: The first category will belong to the individuals who are the victims of the abuse committed by the strangers. On the other hand, the second category will be comprised of the children who became victim of their own relations, family members and relatives. The researcher looks for applying interview-schedule as the tool for collecting the data from the respondents. Interview schedule may consist of thirty nine questions, which will be divided into three parts. First part will be developed for general enquiry including the questions related to age, sex, family background and other basic information. Second portion of the study will be formulated to family life and surroundings of the victims as well as the atmosphere in which they are leading their lives and the difficulties faced by them, as well as the type and nature of abuse and violence prevailing in their surroundings and the situation under which they scared and consequently got victimised. The final part of the interview schedule will be established to find out the problems and difficulties in the rehabilitation of the past victims and development of long term relationships with their social and natural environment. The interview schedule will also explore their natural and reactionary sexual tendencies through brainstorming and psychoanalysis by applying the theories developed by Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. The researcher will also explore how parents, siblings, teachers and counsellors add their share in mentally preparing the past victims of child abuse in the development of long term relationships with the members belonging to the same and opposite genders of the respondents. The role of blood relations and peers in the recovery of the victims will also be the part of the future research. The researcher is determined to select the following questions for the study: 1. How do the child abuse victims become prey to the sexual, physical and emotional molestation in Britain? 2. How do family and school contribute to the consoling and recovery of the innocent victims? 3. How do the professional counsellors rescue the adolescent victims from becoming prey to emotional stress and psychological trauma? 1. Which type of hurdles appear on the way to developing short term and long term personal and occupational relationships for the past victims? 4. How should family and counsellors be trained to improve their skill and behaviour for the permanent recovery of the past victims of child abuse?   Method The researcher aims to conduct interviews of the parents of the past victims as well as of the counsellors in order to extract the mental and physical condition of the victims. The researcher will visit the residences and clinics in order to gather the data for the research being conducted. London city will be selected as the universe/population for the research. The reason behind developing interview schedule includes obtaining direct access to the individuals important for the study. Additionally, the researcher will also make assessment f the replies through tone, body language and expressions of the respondents, which is not possible through questionnaire.   Research Materials The researcher will design the tool for gathering of data in the light of the topic established for the study as well as in accordance with the theories being supported during the research process. Socialisation theory, child molestation theory and victims’ rehabilitation theory will be sought out to support the study. Furthermore, the questions related to the institution of family as well as professional services will be included in the research, which are directly dependent on the nature, area and scope of the study. Research methods The researcher will obtain access to the parents and counsellors through Statistical Bureau of the UK, where the cases will randomly be selected in order to give representation to divergent social classes and ethno-racial and religious groups living in the UK. The researcher will strictly adopt privacy policy and will not disclose the name, location and present condition of the past victims at all. Conclusion To conclude, it becomes crystal clear that family, peers and teachers serve as the most intimate relations for a child, which can provide significant moral and emotional support to the victim of child abuse. It is therefore their role and contributions in the rehabilitation and development of long term intimate relationships with society cannot be denied altogether. Here the role played by the counselors is also dynamic and worthwhile, as application of professional skills turn out to be helpful in distracting the past bitter memories from the minds of the innocent children. Bibliography Allison, Dorothy. (2005) Survival is Least of My Desires. An Extract from “Skin: Talking About Sex”, Class & Literature. Firebrand Books pp 29-55 Briere, John (2002) Treating adult survivors of severe childhood abuse and neglect: Further development of an integrative model (Eds) The APSAC handbook on child maltreatment, 2nd Edition Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications pp 1-5 http://www.johnbriere.com/STM.pdf Deuba, Arzu R. & Rana, Pinky S. (2001) A Study on the Psycho-Social Impacts of Violence against Women and Girls with Special Focus on Rape, Incest and Polygamy http://saathi.org.np/uploads/images/reports/Psycho-Social_Impacts_VAW&G.pdf Irish, Leah; Kobayashi, Ihori; Delahanty, Douglas L. )2010) Long-term Physical Health Consequences of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Meta-analytic Review Journal of Paediatric Psychology. 35(5) pp. 450-461. Oxford University Press Lipovsky, Julie A. (1997) Treatment of child victims of child abuse and neglect http://childlaw.sc.edu/frmPublications/treatment_114200441012.pdf Lungren, Daniel E. (2007) Child Abuse: Crime and Violence Prevention Centre, California Attorney General’s Office pp 1-7 Retrieved from http://www.sacrt.com/policeservices/child_abuse_eng.pdf Miles, Glenn & Stephenson, Paul (1999) Children and Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Children at Risk Guidelines: Volume 4 Tear Fund Organisation p.7 Retrieved from http://tilz.tearfund.org/webdocs/Tilz/Topics/SexENG_full%20doc(1).pdf Neumann, D. A., Houskamp, B. M., Pollock, V. E.,&Briere, J. (1996). The long-term sequelae of childhood sexual abuse in women: A meta-analytic review. Child Maltreatment, 1 pp. 6–16. Rind, B., Tromovitch, P., & Bauserman, R. (1998) A meta-analytic examination of assumed properties of child sexual abuse using college samples Psychological Bulletin, 124, pp. 22–53. Valentine, LaNae & Feinauer, Leslie L. (1993) Resilience Factors associated with Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse The American Journal of Family Therapy Volume 21 no. 3 Brunnel/Mazel Inc Retrieved from http://www.worldwideopen.org/uploads/resources/files/773/RES010_Resilience_Factors_Associated_with_Female_Survivors_of_Childhood_Sexual_Abuse.pdf Prevent Child Abuse Sega. (2003) Stop it Now Georgia: Statistics on Child Sexual Abuse and Treatment 1720 Peachtree St., NW, Suite 600, Atlanta, GA 30309 Retrieved from http://www.preventchildabusega.org/pdf/stopitnowga/Statistics/Statistics%20page.pdf Child Welfare Information Gateway (2008) Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/long_term_consequences.pdf Read More