The Cost of Telling the Painful Experiences: Family Factors for Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure

Wamuyu Eunice Menja – Population Reproductive Health and Community Resource Management Department, Kenyatta University, Kenya
Dr. Lucy Kathuri Ogola – Population Reproductive Health and Community Resource Management Department, Kenyatta University, Kenya
Dr. Joan Kabaria Muriithi – Population Reproductive Health and Community Resource Management Department, Kenyatta University, Kenya
Dr. Taren Swindle – Family and Preventative Medicine Department, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences – Little Rock
Corresponding author Email: emenja@gmail.com

Abstract: Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is categorized as one of the forms of child abuse and is one of the most confusing and perplexing problems facing many societies in the world. Child Sexual Abuse cannot be alleviated without disclosure, making it necessary to establish CSAD factors as a pathway to increase community resources (e.g., mental health and social services) for survivors. CSA affects the health of a community, but it is highly unreported. Perpetrators mask their behavior from community and survivors and appear normal and harmless. It is on this premise that the study purposed to examine the understanding of Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure from participants’ perspective in relation to family factors at Thika Level 5 Hospital in Kiambu County, Kenya. The major research question was; what family factors encourage/discourage child sexual abuse disclosure at Thika Level 5 Hospital in Kiambu County? The stuyd was carried out at Thika Level 5 Hospital (TL5H) in Kiambu County, Kenya. Data collection included in-depth interviews and survey questionnaires. The study utilized a convergent mixed method design. Descriptive and thematic approaches were applied to analyse qualitative data. The study found that family characteristics such as positive relationships acted as social processes that encouraged survivors to participate in the disclosure process. Emotional and physical support from trusted adults or family members played a significant role in CSA disclosure, especially during the treatment process. The study recommends that the Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Gender, Youth and Social Development craft new laws and policies that mandate adults in Kiambu County to report Child Sexual Abuse as soon as it occurs.