Citation

Meadows LM, Thurston WE, Lackner S. Health Care Women Int. 2001; 22(5): 439-454.

Affiliation

Departments of Family Medicine & Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, AB, Canada. meadows@ucalgary.ca

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11508097

Abstract

Most samples of adult women will contain a significant proportion who have been or are currently in abusive relationships. While past research has linked childhood abuse of girls to adult health concerns, little is known about the process through which women retrospectively reconcile these experiences. This article reports on data collected in an ongoing project on midlife women's health. Twenty-seven of 50 urban, middle-class participants in this phase of the project reported childhood abuse experiences. In the analysis, several aspects of these experiences were identified: definitions of abuse; recontextualizing abuse; responsibility for abuse; abuse avoidance; and experiences of multiple abuse. The women's discourse reflected a number of ideologies that provide a context in which women negotiate their understandings of these childhood experiences. This article provides insight into our understanding of abuse. It addresses the fundamental issue of promoting a worldview that precludes child abuse while leaving adult survivors with options for "moving on."

Language: en