Disclosure of non-recent (historic) childhood sexual abuse: What should researchers do?

Silverio, SA; Bewley, S; Montgomery, E; Roberts, C; Richens, Y; Maxted, F; Sandall, J; Montgomery, J

Disclosure of non-recent (historic) childhood sexual abuse: What should researchers do?

Silverio, SA Bewley, S Montgomery, E Roberts, C Richens, Y Maxted, F Sandall, J

Montgomery, J

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Publisher:: BMJ
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Journal of medical ethics, 2020
Issue Date:: 2020-11-10

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Silverio, SA
dc.contributor.author	Bewley, S
dc.contributor.author	Montgomery, E
dc.contributor.author	Roberts, C
dc.contributor.author	Richens, Y
dc.contributor.author	Maxted, F
dc.contributor.author	Sandall, J https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2000-743X
dc.contributor.author	Montgomery, J
dc.date.accessioned	2020-11-16T01:43:33Z
dc.date.available	2020-10-06
dc.date.available	2020-11-16T01:43:33Z
dc.date.issued	2020-11-10
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of medical ethics, 2020
dc.identifier.issn	0306-6800
dc.identifier.issn	1473-4257
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/144035
dc.description.abstract	Non-recent (historic) childhood sexual abuse is an important issue to research, though often regarded as taboo and frequently met with caution, avoidance or even opposition from research ethics committees. Sensitive research, such as that which asks victim-survivors to recount experiences of abuse or harm, has the propensity to be emotionally challenging for both the participant and the researcher. However, most research suggests that any distress experienced is usually momentary and not of any clinical significance. Moreover, this type of research offers a platform for voices which have often been silenced, and many participants report the cathartic effect of recounting their experiences in a safe, non-judgemental space. With regard to the course of such research, lines of inquiry which ask adult participants to discuss their experiences of childhood sexual abuse may result in a first-time disclosure of that abuse by the victim-survivor to the researcher. Guidance about how researchers should respond to first-time disclosure is lacking. In this article, we discuss our response to one research ethics committee which had suggested that for a qualitative study for which we were seeking ethical approval (investigating experiences of pregnancy and childbirth having previously survived childhood sexual abuse), any disclosure of non-recent (historic) childhood sexual abuse which had not been previously reported would result in the researcher being obliged to report it to relevant authorities. We assess this to be inconsistent with both law and professional guidance in the United Kingdom; and provide information and recommendations for researchers and research ethics committees to consider.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	BMJ
dc.relation.ispartof	Journal of medical ethics
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1136/medethics-2020-106343
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	1199 Other Medical and Health Sciences, 1801 Law, 2201 Applied Ethics
dc.subject.classification	Applied Ethics
dc.title	Disclosure of non-recent (historic) childhood sexual abuse: What should researchers do?
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.location.activity	England
utslib.for	1199 Other Medical and Health Sciences
utslib.for	1801 Law
utslib.for	2201 Applied Ethics
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/Midwifery
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.date.updated	2020-11-16T01:43:30Z
pubs.publication-status	Published

Abstract:

Non-recent (historic) childhood sexual abuse is an important issue to research, though often regarded as taboo and frequently met with caution, avoidance or even opposition from research ethics committees. Sensitive research, such as that which asks victim-survivors to recount experiences of abuse or harm, has the propensity to be emotionally challenging for both the participant and the researcher. However, most research suggests that any distress experienced is usually momentary and not of any clinical significance. Moreover, this type of research offers a platform for voices which have often been silenced, and many participants report the cathartic effect of recounting their experiences in a safe, non-judgemental space. With regard to the course of such research, lines of inquiry which ask adult participants to discuss their experiences of childhood sexual abuse may result in a first-time disclosure of that abuse by the victim-survivor to the researcher. Guidance about how researchers should respond to first-time disclosure is lacking. In this article, we discuss our response to one research ethics committee which had suggested that for a qualitative study for which we were seeking ethical approval (investigating experiences of pregnancy and childbirth having previously survived childhood sexual abuse), any disclosure of non-recent (historic) childhood sexual abuse which had not been previously reported would result in the researcher being obliged to report it to relevant authorities. We assess this to be inconsistent with both law and professional guidance in the United Kingdom; and provide information and recommendations for researchers and research ethics committees to consider.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/144035