Access to therapy for child sexual abuse survivors: Preliminary dialogue of barriers and facilitators between caregivers

Jonathan Jin; Huda Al-Shamali; Lorraine Smith-MacDonald; Matthew Reeson; Wanda Polzin; Yifeng Wei; Hannah Pazderka; Peter H Silverstone; Andrew J Greenshaw

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0294686

Access to therapy for child sexual abuse survivors: Preliminary dialogue of barriers and facilitators between caregivers

PLoS One. 2023 Nov 17;18(11):e0294686. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294686. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Jonathan Jin¹, Huda Al-Shamali¹, Lorraine Smith-MacDonald², Matthew Reeson¹, Wanda Polzin³, Yifeng Wei¹, Hannah Pazderka^{1

3}, Peter H Silverstone¹, Andrew J Greenshaw¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
² Heroes in Mind Advocacy and Research Consortium, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
³ Little Warriors Be Brave Ranch, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Abstract

Background: Difficulties in access to therapy were highlighted by COVID-19 measures restricting in-person gatherings. Additional challenges arise when focusing on caregivers of child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors in particular, which are a population that has been historically difficult to engage with due to issues of stigma and confidentiality.

Objectives: To present preliminary qualitative results from caregivers of CSA survivors.

Methods: This study was conducted with caregivers of CSA survivors. Two hybrid webinar/focus groups were conducted using a video conferencing platform in fall of 2021 with two groups of stakeholders (11 caregivers and 5 moderators/clinical staff at Little Warriors, an intensive episodic treatment facility). Sessions were recorded, transcribed, and thematically-analyzed using standard qualitative methodology.

Results: A total of 11 caregivers contributed to the data. Themes include: (1) Challenges of starting and maintaining treatment (i.e., emotional impact of intake day, challenges of enrolling), (2) Therapeutic benefits of specialized treatment (i.e., feeling safe and supported and the importance of trauma-informed care), and (3) Barriers and facilitators of treatment (i.e., avenues to scale-up and self-care).

Conclusion: The importance of a strong therapeutic alliance was highlighted by both caregivers/clinical staff and further support is needed for families post-treatment. The present hybrid webinar/focus group also achieved engagement goals in a population that is typically difficult to reach. Overall, the response rate (12%) was equivalent to reported registrant attendance rates for general business to consumer webinars and the recommended focus group size. This preliminary approach warrants replication in other populations outside our clinical context.

Copyright: © 2023 Jin et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

MeSH terms

Caregivers / psychology
Child
Child Abuse, Sexual* / psychology
Child Abuse, Sexual* / therapy
Emotions
Health Services Accessibility
Humans
Qualitative Research
Survivors

Grants and funding

This work was supported by funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CG Scholarship to JJ). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/students-etudiants/pg-cs/cgsm-bescm_eng.asp.