Paternal support for child sexual abuse victims: A qualitative study

Background: The current state of knowledge regarding the role of non-offending fathers in supporting their sexually abused children is very scarce. Objective: The objective of this study is to further our understanding of fathers' roles following disclosure of their children's sexual abuse (SA) by evaluating fathers' perceptions of the impact of disclosure on their involvement and support of their children. Participants and method: This qualitative study relies on individual semi-structured interviews conducted with 17 fathers of allegedly abused children. Results: Inductive thematic analysis first highlighted that some reported a period of disengagement from the child during which they put into question their role and attitudes, followed by a period of re-involvement. This period of difficulties experienced by some fathers in regard to their involvement towards their children was due to either their own important psychological distress, their ambivalence towards their child or even because of feelings of uneasiness experienced during physical contact with them. Despite this, findings indicate the presence of thoughts and attitudes that suggest children are a source of concern for fathers. The four forms of abuse-specific support previously observed among mothers (believing the child, seeking out professional services, protecting him/her from the offender, supporting him/her emotionally) were also observed among fathers. In accordance with the activation theory, a form of support specific to fathers, namely, encouraging the child to open up to and explore the world outside the family, thereby, fostering the child's self-esteem development, was observed and constitutes a relevant finding. Conclusion: Clinical and empirical implications are discussed.