The Role of Spirituality in the Ongoing Recovery Process of Female Sexual Abuse Survivors

Abstract

This study investigated the role spirituality plays in the recovery process of female childhood sexual abuse survivors (CSA). Fourteen female CSA survivors participated in individual interviews. They responded to questions regarding their spiritual development across the recovery process, effects of spirituality on their interpersonal and intrapersonal processes, and obstacles to their spiritual development. Data were analyzed using Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR; Hill et al., 1997) to identify major themes that include: 1) participants distinguished between spirituality and religion; 2) the role of spirituality varied across their recovery process; 3) many had a positive spiritual role model/mentor during their childhood; 4) ongoing sexual abuse led to rebellion as adolescents/young adults (e.g., anger against God’s failure to intervene, self-destructive behaviors that further exacerbated mistrust, shame and alienation; and 5) participants eventually reached spiritual reconciliation, which they viewed as the greatest single factor in their recovery. Practice and research recommendations are provided.