Duma S E, Mekwa J N, Denny L D
Division of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Cape Town.
Curationis. 2007 Dec;30(4):4-11.
Thousands of women and children experience sexual assault trauma annually in South Africa. The challenge posed by recovery from sexual assault trauma is a reality that confronts the survivors of sexual assault, their families and the larger community of service providers. Yet, little research has been conducted on recovery from sexual assault as a phenomenon. The purpose of the study was to explore and analyse the journey of recovery which is undertaken by women who have been sexually assaulted, with the aim of discovering and developing the grounded theory of recovery from sexual assault trauma within the first six months following the event of rape. The main research question was: What constitutes the journey of recovery undertaken by women within the first six months following sexual assault? A longitudinal qualitative study was conducted using the principles of grounded theory methodology as proposed by Strauss and Corbin (1990, 1998). A series of in-depth one-to-one interviews were conducted with a sample of ten women. The participants were selected through open, purposive and theoretical sampling procedures. The study was conducted over a period of six months following the event of sexual assault. The substantive theory was discovered and constructed through the inductive and deductive analysis of data, grounded on the ten women's descriptions of their journey of recovery from sexual assault. The theory of women's journey of recovery that was discovered and developed consisted of eight theoretical concepts or categories. These included the following concepts: 1. Sexual assault trauma 2. Awakening 3. Pragmatic acceptance 4. Turning point 5. Reclaiming what was lost 6. Defining own landmarks of healing 7. Readiness for closure 8. Returning to self. The grounded theory of the journey of recovery from sexual assault is a contribution to the knowledge about women's journey of recovery from sexual assault. It provides a process and language for understanding women's experiences within the larger social context of recovery from assault. The findings suggested that women's journey of recovery from sexual assault trauma is an individual experience that is influenced by many and varied causal and intervening conditions. These included personal biographies, relationships, supportive and non-supportive environments at individual, family, community and societal levels. Recommendations for future research and clinical management of sexual assault are made based on the researcher's interpretation of the findings.
在南非，每年都有成千上万的妇女和儿童遭受性侵犯创伤。从性侵犯创伤中恢复所面临的挑战是性侵犯幸存者、他们的家人以及更广泛的服务提供者群体所面临的现实。然而，作为一种现象，关于从性侵犯中恢复的研究却很少。本研究的目的是探索和分析遭受性侵犯的女性的恢复历程，以期发现并发展在强奸事件发生后的头六个月内从性侵犯创伤中恢复的扎根理论。主要研究问题是：性侵犯发生后的头六个月内，女性的恢复历程是由什么构成的？采用施特劳斯和科尔宾（1990年、1998年）提出的扎根理论方法原则，进行了一项纵向定性研究。对十名女性样本进行了一系列深入的一对一访谈。参与者通过开放式、目的性和理论性抽样程序进行选择。该研究在性侵犯事件发生后的六个月内进行。通过对数据的归纳和演绎分析，基于这十名女性对其从性侵犯中恢复历程的描述，发现并构建了实质理论。所发现并发展的女性恢复历程理论由八个理论概念或类别组成。这些概念包括：1. 性侵犯创伤；2. 觉醒；3. 务实接受；4. 转折点；5. 找回失去的东西；6. 定义自己的康复里程碑；7. 准备好结束；8. 回归自我。从性侵犯中恢复历程的扎根理论为有关女性从性侵犯中恢复历程的知识做出了贡献。它提供了一个过程和语言，用于在从性侵犯中恢复的更广泛社会背景下理解女性的经历。研究结果表明，女性从性侵犯创伤中恢复的历程是一种个人经历，受到许多不同的因果和干预条件的影响。这些条件包括个人经历、人际关系、个人、家庭、社区和社会层面的支持性和非支持性环境。基于研究者对研究结果的解读，对未来性侵犯研究和临床管理提出了建议。
