L’influence de l’abus sexuel dans l’enfance sur le sentiment de compétence parentale des mères : analyse qualitative et quantitative

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to study the self-perception of parenting skills in mothers who were sexually abused during their childhood (between 0 and 16 years old) and to highlight the factors that affect this perception among these mothers. In order to take into account the complexity of the phenomenon, we examined various characteristics of sexual assault (duration, age at first occurrence, strength and threat, intensity of trauma, whether or not one has received therapy, various disorders still present today). In addition, we considered the presence of other child abuse that occurred during childhood and/or adolescence. The tools used for data collection were the Parental Competency Self-Assessment Questionnaire (QAECP), the Trauma Q and a semi-structured interview constructed following a literature review. Eleven assaulted mothers were interviewed and 11 non-victim mothers (control group) were matched. Qualitative and quantitative analyses showed that mothers who have been sexually assaulted have a lower feeling of parental competency and that the more severe the psychological trauma, the lower the scores of self-perception of parenting. It is also noted that these sexually assaulted mothers perceived their own parents as less competent than control mothers. The association with other types of child abuse and sexual abuse occurring within a family were associated with a particularly poor prognosis. It would therefore not be sexual assault as such that would affect the self-perception of parenting skills, but the characteristics of this assault, namely the presence of other forms of abuse and the fact that it is within the family. Our results show the influence of other characteristics on the self-perception of parenting skills, such as age at the beginning of the event, aggressor status, depressive disorders and sleep disorders. All these factors and their consequences illustrate the individual and intergenerational complexity of this issue.