Child Sexual Abuse—Challenging Conditions for Adult Oral Health : A Qualitative Study
(2023) In JDR Clinical and Translational Research 8(1). p.27-35- Abstract
The aim was to analyze perceptions of oral health in adults who have been exposed to child sexual abuse. Eleven participants (10 women), 19 to 56 y of age, who had experienced sexual abuse as children were purposively selected and interviewed in-depth. The participants were encouraged to describe how they perceived the effect of the sexual abuse on their oral health as adults. The interviews were recorded digitally and transcribed verbatim. The collected material was analyzed according to qualitative content analysis. The theme “challenging conditions for maintaining oral health” was identified, comprising 2 categories: first, “the emotional significance,” with the subcategories 1) emotional barriers and 2) powerful relief, and second,... (More)
The aim was to analyze perceptions of oral health in adults who have been exposed to child sexual abuse. Eleven participants (10 women), 19 to 56 y of age, who had experienced sexual abuse as children were purposively selected and interviewed in-depth. The participants were encouraged to describe how they perceived the effect of the sexual abuse on their oral health as adults. The interviews were recorded digitally and transcribed verbatim. The collected material was analyzed according to qualitative content analysis. The theme “challenging conditions for maintaining oral health” was identified, comprising 2 categories: first, “the emotional significance,” with the subcategories 1) emotional barriers and 2) powerful relief, and second, “the obstacles to oral health,” with the subcategories 1) daily self-care with complications and 2) dental appointments with difficulties. The findings indicate that the experience of sexual abuse during childhood can have a negative impact on oral care in adulthood. The informants stated that oral health was of utmost importance but also associated with strong emotions. There were obstacles to maintenance of oral health that were difficult to surmount. Knowledge Transfer Statement:The study provides access to the attitudes of survivors of child sexual abuse regarding oral health and the needs and obstacles that they experience. This is important knowledge for dental professionals to optimize dental care.
(Less)
- author
- Wolf, E. ; Månsson, S. ; Wallin, L. and Priebe, G. LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- access to care, anxiety, child molestation, dental care, dental fear, dental public health
- in
- JDR Clinical and Translational Research
- volume
- 8
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 27 - 35
- publisher
- SAGE Publications
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:34704485
- scopus:85117887256
- ISSN
- 2380-0844
- DOI
- 10.1177/23800844211053775
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © International Association for Dental Research and American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research 2021.
- id
- ef7a3330-b240-4545-80e3-b602617023dd
- date added to LUP
- 2021-11-23 13:56:05
- date last changed
- 2024-04-20 16:25:43
@article{ef7a3330-b240-4545-80e3-b602617023dd,
abstract = {{<p>The aim was to analyze perceptions of oral health in adults who have been exposed to child sexual abuse. Eleven participants (10 women), 19 to 56 y of age, who had experienced sexual abuse as children were purposively selected and interviewed in-depth. The participants were encouraged to describe how they perceived the effect of the sexual abuse on their oral health as adults. The interviews were recorded digitally and transcribed verbatim. The collected material was analyzed according to qualitative content analysis. The theme “challenging conditions for maintaining oral health” was identified, comprising 2 categories: first, “the emotional significance,” with the subcategories 1) emotional barriers and 2) powerful relief, and second, “the obstacles to oral health,” with the subcategories 1) daily self-care with complications and 2) dental appointments with difficulties. The findings indicate that the experience of sexual abuse during childhood can have a negative impact on oral care in adulthood. The informants stated that oral health was of utmost importance but also associated with strong emotions. There were obstacles to maintenance of oral health that were difficult to surmount. Knowledge Transfer Statement:The study provides access to the attitudes of survivors of child sexual abuse regarding oral health and the needs and obstacles that they experience. This is important knowledge for dental professionals to optimize dental care.</p>}},
author = {{Wolf, E. and Månsson, S. and Wallin, L. and Priebe, G.}},
issn = {{2380-0844}},
keywords = {{access to care; anxiety; child molestation; dental care; dental fear; dental public health}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{27--35}},
publisher = {{SAGE Publications}},
series = {{JDR Clinical and Translational Research}},
title = {{Child Sexual Abuse—Challenging Conditions for Adult Oral Health : A Qualitative Study}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/23800844211053775}},
doi = {{10.1177/23800844211053775}},
volume = {{8}},
year = {{2023}},
}