‘So Your Own Health Needs Just… They Just Go Out of the Window’: Exploring the Health Implications of Child Sexual Exploitation on Parents

Stephens-Lewis, Danielle and Unwin, Peter ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1985-1959 (2017) ‘So Your Own Health Needs Just… They Just Go Out of the Window’: Exploring the Health Implications of Child Sexual Exploitation on Parents. In: XXXVth International Congress on Law and Mental Health, 9th - 14th July 2017, Faculty of Law, Charles University, Prague. (Unpublished)

Abstract

Research has indicated that Child Sexual Exploitation continues to be on the rise in the UK, with
ChildLine reporting to have experienced a 124% increase in referrals regarding sexual abuse and
exploitation since 2013/2014, and a reported 12,000 counselling sessions having taken place.
Much research has considered the direct impact CSE and the experience of abuse has on
victim/survivors. Additionally, there has been some suggestion that such experiences can
negatively affect those who come into direct contact with victim/survivors. For example, only
recently research has highlighted the significant negative impact CSE can have on frontline staff
members. However, few studies have examined the impact CSE has on the parents’. Considering
the association noted between staff members in contact with CSE, the physical and mental wellbeing
of parents, those closest to the victim/survivor, needs to be examined. As such, in 2016
Parents against Child Sexual Exploitation (PACE) commissioned research aiming to explore the
possible health impact of CSE on both parents’ psychological and physical health and wellbeing.
This presentation will detail the qualitative aspect of this research and its findings. In
addition to the distribution of an online survey, two isolated focus groups were run with a total of
nine parents. Transcriptions from the focus groups were analyzed following Braun and Clarke’s
(2006) six stages of thematic analysis. Findings revealed that CSE impacted upon both the
physical and psychological health of parents including their ability to manage existing illnesses.
This presentation will consider the findings from both the survey and focus groups and
implications for future research and multi-profession practice.

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