| Child sexual abuse has existed since earliest recorded history. It is believed that one in three females and one in five males are sexually abused before their eighteenth birthday and many researchers believe this is a gross underestimation of the problem. Child sexual abuse has been studied extensively from the perspective of the victim. Child sexual abusers have been studied over the last few decades but with inconsistent definitions and methods applied among studies. This qualitative study explored the childhood reflections of eight incarcerated child sexual abusers in a southern Appalachian prison. One-on-one in-depth interviews were conducted at the prison with the eight male participants. After multiple readings of the transcripts, analysis was completed and the stories emerged. The investigator used van Marten's descriptive-interpretive process. This process involved guided existential reflections based on spatiality, corporeality, temporality, and relationality. The existentials were used as an aid to understand how incarcerated adult male child sexual abusers experienced childhood. Questions were asked using the existentials in order to better understand childhood experiences in this underserved and often forgotten population. Data were managed using NVivo qualitative data analysis software. Textural themes were organized into essential structural themes which were abstracted into essential categorical themes. Results are discussed and related to nursing practice, education and research. |
