Dental care of patients exposed to sexual abuse : Need for alliance between staff and patients
(2021) In European Journal of Oral Sciences 129(3).- Abstract
The aim was to explore the experiences of sexually abused individuals as dental patients. Purposively selected were 13 informants (11 women) aged 19–56. All had experienced sexual abuse as children or adults and memories of this abuse had been triggered and expressed during a dental appointment. They were encouraged to relate in their own words their experiences of the dental appointment. The interviews were recorded digitally, transcribed verbatim, and analysed according to Qualitative Content Analysis. The overall theme illustrating the latent content was The dental appointment – a volatile base requiring predictability and a secure working alliance. The first category covering the manifest content was The dental care provider... (More)
The aim was to explore the experiences of sexually abused individuals as dental patients. Purposively selected were 13 informants (11 women) aged 19–56. All had experienced sexual abuse as children or adults and memories of this abuse had been triggered and expressed during a dental appointment. They were encouraged to relate in their own words their experiences of the dental appointment. The interviews were recorded digitally, transcribed verbatim, and analysed according to Qualitative Content Analysis. The overall theme illustrating the latent content was The dental appointment – a volatile base requiring predictability and a secure working alliance. The first category covering the manifest content was The dental care provider “assumes responsibility,” with two subcategories: (i) contradictory disclosure, and (ii) alliance formation – a levelling of power. The second category was The patient is “in focus,” with two subcategories: (i) alertness to signs of discomfort, and (ii) attention to obvious but subtle expressions of needs. On an understanding that the patient has been sexually abused, an individually tailored, patient-centered approach to treatment is suggested. Dental care providers may also need to be aware of and reflect on their position of power, in relation to the patient and its possible chairside implications.
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- author
- Wolf, Eva ; Grinneby, David ; Nilsson, Petra and Priebe, Gisela LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2021-06-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- dental fear, dissociation, patient-centered, power, sexual abuse disclosure
- in
- European Journal of Oral Sciences
- volume
- 129
- issue
- 3
- article number
- e12782
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85102921748
- pmid:33760322
- ISSN
- 0909-8836
- DOI
- 10.1111/eos.12782
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- f95118e0-b73d-47d9-8438-e2003458de85
- date added to LUP
- 2021-03-31 11:23:10
- date last changed
- 2025-01-26 08:20:18
@article{f95118e0-b73d-47d9-8438-e2003458de85, abstract = {{<p>The aim was to explore the experiences of sexually abused individuals as dental patients. Purposively selected were 13 informants (11 women) aged 19–56. All had experienced sexual abuse as children or adults and memories of this abuse had been triggered and expressed during a dental appointment. They were encouraged to relate in their own words their experiences of the dental appointment. The interviews were recorded digitally, transcribed verbatim, and analysed according to Qualitative Content Analysis. The overall theme illustrating the latent content was The dental appointment – a volatile base requiring predictability and a secure working alliance. The first category covering the manifest content was The dental care provider “assumes responsibility,” with two subcategories: (i) contradictory disclosure, and (ii) alliance formation – a levelling of power. The second category was The patient is “in focus,” with two subcategories: (i) alertness to signs of discomfort, and (ii) attention to obvious but subtle expressions of needs. On an understanding that the patient has been sexually abused, an individually tailored, patient-centered approach to treatment is suggested. Dental care providers may also need to be aware of and reflect on their position of power, in relation to the patient and its possible chairside implications.</p>}}, author = {{Wolf, Eva and Grinneby, David and Nilsson, Petra and Priebe, Gisela}}, issn = {{0909-8836}}, keywords = {{dental fear; dissociation; patient-centered; power; sexual abuse disclosure}}, language = {{eng}}, month = {{06}}, number = {{3}}, publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}}, series = {{European Journal of Oral Sciences}}, title = {{Dental care of patients exposed to sexual abuse : Need for alliance between staff and patients}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/eos.12782}}, doi = {{10.1111/eos.12782}}, volume = {{129}}, year = {{2021}}, }