The long-term effects of childhood physical abuse on adult survivors in Namibia

Abstract

Abstract provided by author:

Researchers agree that children who live in pain and fear as a result of physical abuse, still carry these effects in th elong-term. Evidence to support this contention is vast, and it usually results in a variety of prevention and intervention strategies being implemented to protect the rights of the child

Physical abuse is indeed a risk factor for adult psychological functioning. in this thesis, however, it is proposed tht the relation between childhood physical abuse and adverse long-term effects is not so direct. Life-span developmental theory argues that, apart from the physical abuse, there are a multi-variate of ecological factors (individual, family, community and society) that continuously interact throughout the developmental life span of the individual. This perspective represents the framework from which the long-term effects of childhood abuse should be understood

Research regarding physical abuse and its long-term effects on survivors, is virtually non-existent in Namibia. For this reason it was deemed necessary to include the etiology of physical abuse in the literature review. The etiology of physical abuse makes it possible for the reader to, firstly, be aware that a multitude of factors can contribute to an incidence of physical abuse. The reader is secondly provided with a context in which to understand the abuse experiences of the respondents who participated in ths study. A definition for child physical abuse is also formulated in this thesis, since the current namibian definition is too braod and does not address the child in specific

By means of in-depth interviews with four adult survivors of child physical abuse, this research aimed to outline the possible long-term effects of physical abuse. Since not all survivors seemed to be adversely affected by the abuse, thsi research also examined the range of protective factors that act as buffer in the development of negative effects, in the lives of survivors

In this study it was found that child physical abuse neither has a completely destructive effect, nor does it have no effect on survivors' psychological functioning. Each survivor is affected to some extent. It was also found that only one survivor in this sample, viewed his experience of childhood abuse as severe, and that it had quite a negative effect on him. The other three survivors, for various reasons, reported not to have been influenced in a complete negative fashion, even though the nature of their abuse also seemed quite severe. The conclusion was made that the context of physical abuse, the survivor's perception thereof and of the perpetrator, play an essential role in the long-term effects of child abuse. Further research to determine the abovementioned interactions is recommended