The impact of childhood sexual abuse on the experience of pregnancy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The impact of childhood sexual abuse on women’s experience of pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period
IRAS ID
183649
Contact name
Jane Byrne
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Plymouth University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 13 days
Research summary
Experience of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has been found to be a contributing risk factor for a number of individual, interpersonal and social difficulties (Moeller et al. 1993; Romans et al., 1997). There has been an increasing focus on the consequences of CSA for women in terms of pregnancy, with reports of 1 in 9 women attending for prenatal care having experienced CSA (Roller, 2011). Whilst each survivor copes in an individual way, a number of similar characteristics have been identified regarding the impact of maternal well-being including increased depression, low self-esteem, feelings of helplessness/powerlessness and anxiety during and following pregnancy (Heritage, 1998).
The research to date is focused on the long term consequences of CSA and concerns raised from a health professional perspective. The actual experience of pregnancy, childbirth and the post-natal period from the survivor’s perspective, and the meaning they made of this experience, does not have a voice within the current literature. This feels like a valuable area of research to help develop services to meet the need of this potentially vulnerable population.
This study aims to use a qualitative methodology to explore how women with a history of CSA make sense of their childbirth experiences through telling their own stories. It hopes to understand the experiences of these women, develop an understanding of what was helpful/unhelpful, and use this information for the development of appropriate services. Participants will be identified by clinicians working within Devon Partnership NHS Trust (DPT). Six to eight women will be interviewed on an individual basis (an initial interview and a follow up). These interviews will be recorded on a dictaphone, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using narrative analysis.
This research will be submitted as part of a Professional Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. A paper will be submitted to an appropriate journal.
REC name
South West - Central Bristol Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/SW/0342
Date of REC Opinion
11 Jan 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion