Date of Award
3-1-1994
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Counseling Psychology & Community Services
Abstract
Seventy-four women who were concurrently receiving mental health services, were administered a structured interview which explored childhood verbal, physical and sexual abuse, and the perceived effects associated with each type of abuse. It was common for one type of abuse to be found in unison with another type. The interview questions also asked the respondent to describe themselves as children, their parental relationships, and patterns in adult relationships. Interpretive content analyses were used to organize the responses and summarize the findings. Sexual abuse particularly affected later sexual relationships, but also created a pervasive sense of mistrust that impacted relationships in general. Most outstanding among the findings regarding physical abuse was the strength of the learned response and the fear of continuing the cycle of violence among the respondents, it also negatively affected relationships. Of greatest concern to those who experienced verbal abuse was its affect on self perceptions. Negative self constructs and beliefs were internalized as a result of verbal abuse. All three types of abuse had detrimental affects on self development.
Recommended Citation
Deraney-Reilly, Sandra Marie, "A hermeneutic analysis of childhood verbal, physical, and sexual abuse and women's identity development." (1994). Theses and Dissertations. 8761.
https://commons.und.edu/theses/8761