Family Climate and Personal Resilience Among Children Victims of Sexual Abuse in Abidjan

Abstract

In Ivory Coast, the proportion of children victims of sexual abuse has become increasingly worrying since the post electoral crisis of 2011. This study aims to analyze the effect of family climate on the personal resilience construction of children victims of sexual abuse. It is so based on the working hypothesis that children victims of sexual abuse who benefit from a supportive family climate are more resilient than those who evolve in a non-supportive family climate. The study was conducted following a qualitative methodological approach with a descriptive aim, with 22 children of both sexes, victims of sexual abuse and aged from 06 to 13 years old. These children were selected by a reasoned choice at the Infant Guidance Center of Abidjan. They were subjected to a semi-structured interview from May 09 to August 10, 2022. The results, interpreted in the light of the theory of attachment, indicate that the family climate is decisive in the construction of personal resilience in children victims of sexual abuse. These results show the importance of raising awareness about the children sexual abuse and the need to provide support to the families of sexually abused children with a view to strengthening their capacity of resilience when facing such a serious phenomenon.