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Child sexual abuse (CSA) has received much research attention in recent years, leading to the considerable development of services provided for children worldwide. The literature in the field of trauma studies recognizes that responses to trauma are of central importance and mainly discusses the fight-flight-freeze model of automatic responses to traumatic events. For a variety of reasons, research on this specific subject in the field of CSA is sparse. The current study was designed to spotlight the way adults perceive their responses during incidents of CSA. Semistructured interviews were carried out with 20 survivors who described their responses. The results pointed to the irrelevance of "fight or flight" responses in the context of CSA and emphasized compliance, avoidance, and simply surviving the abuse. In addition, the survivors shared the thoughts they had had during the abusive incidents. Specifically, while they understood that what was being done to them was wrong, they also realized that there was little they could do other than try to survive. The survivors' reflections on how their responses to CSA affected their negative self-attributions and on the way they contend with difficult incidents in adulthood suggest the central role played by CSA responses. The findings point to the multifaceted nature of responses to CSA and to the urgent need to further examine them by exploring other relevant contexts and perceptions to develop a theoretical model that will address responses to child abuse and inform both prevention and intervention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child maltreatment (CM) has received much research attention in recent years, leading to substantial development of relevant child services worldwide. The literature on posttraumatic stress accentuates the long-term mental and physical ramifications of peritraumatic responses. However, although CM is considered a traumatic experience, examinations of child responses to CM have rarely been attempted. The current study spotlights children's responses during intrafamilial child sexual abuse (IFCSA), as conveyed by them during forensic interviews. The sample is comprised of 40 transcripts of forensic interviews with children aged 4–14, who have been sexually abused by their fathers. The exploration of the children's responses to the abuse was guided by the grounded theory approach and their narratives were thematically analyzed. Indicate that when children contend with ongoing and severe IFCSA, they tend to develop alternative survival strategies, understanding that fight, flight, or disclosure are not relevant options for them. The discussion stresses the multifaceted nature of the way children respond during IFCSA, which should be understood through holistic observation of the children and various aspects of their lives. The children's responses profoundly shape their abuse experiences and require further exploration so as to promote both intervention and prevention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child sexual abuse (CSA) studies have greatly contributed to theory, policy, and practice worldwide. Surprisingly, although trauma studies in particular have highlighted the importance of peritraumatic responses to trauma, this aspect is underdeveloped in the context of child abuse studies. The current study profiles the peritraumatic responses of children to abuse, based on adults' retrospective accounts of their childhood experiences. 180 adults who retrospectively reported having been sexually abused in childhood completed a questionnaire that included four categories of common peritraumatic responses to CSA: automatic, behavioral, cognitive and affective. Latent class analysis revealed a number of classes in each of the questionnaire's four categories. Within each, classes were identified and the relationships within and between them, as well as with abuse characteristics were explored. Existing theory with respect to peritraumatic responses to trauma, and to CSA in particular, should be reconsidered based on the multifaceted model proposed in the current study. The findings point to a previously unrecognized peritraumatic response to trauma: numbness and seeking ways to survive ongoing abuse. Finally, recommendations are provided for incorporating the current model in both prevention and intervention efforts in the CSA field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]