Date of Conferral
2022
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Psychology
Advisor
Robin Friedman
Abstract
AbstractChildhood sexual abuse (CSA) may have a significant impact on the attachment bond between adult women and their mothers when CSA is disclosed during childhood. When CSA is known by the mother during the period of abuse, and she failed to intervene on behalf of her daughter, there can be long-lasting effects on the mother-daughter attachment bond in the future. There is a gap in the research literature regarding the attachment bond between the mother-daughter dyad in adulthood influenced by CSA known by the mother during the period of abuse. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the effects on the mother-daughter attachment bond in adulthood of women who experienced CSA that was reported to their mothers. The conceptual framework that guided this study included attachment theory and the traumagenic dynamics model. Semistructured interviews and open-ended questions were used to gather the data from eight study participants. The seven themes that emerged from the data were established relationship, avoidance of discussing emotional wounds, verbal and physical interactions, effective communication, hurt and anger, desired bonds and closeness, and forgiveness. The implications of this study for positive social change include providing psychologists and other members of the mental health community with additional empirical evidence on the formation of mother-daughter attachment bonds after CSA, which may lead to improved protocols for women who have experienced this phenomenon.
Recommended Citation
Dauphin, Dionne Carla, "The Mother-Daughter Attachment-Bond in Adulthood After Childhood Sexual Abuse" (2022). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 13294.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/13294
