Psychosocial Impact of Sexual Abuse:

A Phenomenological Analysis

抄録

Background: Phenomenology is concerned with lived experience as a medium to understand the underlying reality of the problem that is undergone. It stresses the body as a vehicle of our being. Sexual abuse is one of the major causes for psychological trauma among individuals. Especially childhood trauma results in after effects like anxiety, depression, PTSD etc. Inability of the victims to seek help results in psychological fear. In India, people are very much hesitant to talk about child sexual abuse and most of the time parents are unaware of the incidents This study attempts to explore the lived experiences of sexual abuse during COVID-19, with a special interest in understanding the contemporary problems faced by them. The study also attempted to uncover the thoughts, feelings and actions of the individuals using the lens of existentialism. Method: The Qualitative method (phenomenological study) was used in the present study. A questionnaire was distributed to 400 respondents through online in which the questions related to sexual abuse they had undergone during COVID-19. 8 respondents were selected from 400 randomly based on consent. These 8 participants were interviewed using structured interview schedule to understand the kind of abuse they had undergone and psycho-social issues they had faced. All interviews were audio recorded. Results: Thematic analysis of the data was done. Themes such as curiosity, helplessness, loneliness, trauma and preventive measures emerged. The results indicated that the victims never sought help from anyone. Conclusion: The study implied that logo therapy can be used to help victims. To sum up, this study implied the need to create awareness among school children.