Shame as a barrier to overcoming the consequences of trauma in victims of sexual abuse

Context and relevance. Sexual abuse has a complex set of psychological consequences that affect the quality of life of the victim and their environment. An in-depth study of shame will help specialists better understand the feelings of victims and uncover ways in which a range of rehabilitation measures can be improved, including the so-called “hidden” victims who do not seek help. Objective: to study and describe the individual nature of the experience of shame, its verbal and non-verbal forms and the degree of its impact on the lives of victims of sexual abuse. Hypothesis. Based on theoretical data on the nature and mechanism of feelings of shame, it has been hypothesized that the feeling of shame among victims of sexual abuse is acute, has various forms of manifestation and directly affects the ability to receive help. Methods and materials. The study involved 17 women aged 25 to 35 who were sexually abused between the ages of 7 and 25. Methods: narrative analysis, involved observation. Results. The following forms of shame expression in the speech of the study participants were identified: silence, avoidance of the topic, use of metaphors, humor, language cliches. Shame is felt by victims of sexual abuse: for their own weakness, inability to defend themselves, depravity, the fact of what happened. This, in turn, encourages the victim to self-blame, self-punishment, behavior change, and silence. Conclusions. The experience of acute shame among victims of sexual abuse causes a negative tendency to avoid the topic of trauma, which is expressed in various ways of silence about their own condition and becomes a barrier in overcoming the consequences of trauma.

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