She Is Not Damaged Goods: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study of the Marital Experience for African American Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA) is a traumatic violation which leaves invisible scars on the soul of a child. Despite the prevalence of CSA, African American (AA) females make up an underrepresented population as far as CSA research is concerned. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand how married AA female survivors of CSA experience the marital relationship, and the processes they go through to build resiliency for relational intimacy. Attachment theory guided the study as it describes the internal working models developed in childhood and potentially driving adult relational interactions. The data were collected by the researcher in interview format. The participants were recruited via researcher acquaintance, snowballing, and recruitment in online groups with African American female participants. The implications of this research apply to parenting, education, religion, and the development of interventions for both mental health and medical professionals. Considering the specific married African American female population in this study, more communal and religious interventions should be considered. These could include group therapy and support groups (faith-based and otherwise), as well as psychoeducation for families, as a supportive community and faith were extremely important for the participants in this study.