Survivors of childhood sexual abuse: Implications for perinatal nursing care

Childhood sexual abuse has a lifelong impact on its survivors and may affect the childbearing experience in a variety of ways. Nurses caring for women during the perinatal period can benefit from understanding the phenomenon of child sexual abuse, its prevalence, and the sequelae experienced by childbearing women. Signs, symptoms, and correlates of prior sexual abuse manifested during the perinatal period are described, and nursing care responses are suggested. Nurses may be able to use this information to recognize survivors and facilitate both a positive childbirth experience and the healing process, by helping the survivor learn to trust, respect, and care for her body.