Title:
The lived experiences of childhood sexual abuse and God images among Catholic female adult survivors
Author:
Marie Tylsova
Thesis Advisor:
Gina M. Magyar-Russell
Committee Member:
Jill L. Snodgrass
Committee Member:
Joseph Stewart-Sicking
Committee Member:
Stephen Fowl
Degree Granting Institution:
Loyola University Maryland--College of Arts and Sciences
Place:
Baltimore (Md.)
Publisher:
Loyola University Maryland
Date Created:
2020
Type of Resource:
text
Genre:
thesis
Language:
eng
Format:
application/pdf
Physical Form:
electronic
Digital Source:
born digital
Abstract:
In the United States one out of 10 children is sexually abused before the age of 18 and, of these victims, 82% are female. God images have been studied in various populations, yet no research has been dedicated to examining the relationship between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and God images in Catholic female survivors. This qualitative study used an art-based activity and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to explore the lived experiences of CSA and God images among nine Catholic female adult survivors. The study resulted in six superordinate and 33 subordinate themes. The first three superordinate themes describe participants’ lived experiences of family, Catholicism, God, and CSA in childhood. The remaining themes address participants’ experiences in adulthood by examining the impact of CSA, forms of coping, lived experiences of God, and healing journeys in the Catholic Church. The findings reveal that all nine participants experienced God as a distant figure from early childhood until their conversion and healing in adulthood. A unique finding of this study is participants’ adulthood experiences of a Trinitarian God as a psychological object. As such, it reveals the participants’ intimate connection to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The findings further indicate how the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, the role of the priesthood, the Blessed Mother, and the suffering Christ contributed to participants’ healing from CSA. Implications for clinical and pastoral work are outlined in detail. The study’s limitations, strengths, and suggestions for future research are also discussed.
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Level:
Doctoral
Discipline:
Pastoral Counseling
Restrictions on Access:
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Identifier:
TylsovaM-20
