Cognitive, Emotional and Behavioral Effects of Childhood Abuse: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

It is aimed to examine in depth the experiences of university students who were exposed to sexual and physical abuse in childhood regarding these traumatic experiences. Phenomenological research design was used to determine these experiences. Data were obtained from 10 university students aged between 18 and 24 through semi-structured interviews. Participants were selected through snowball and criterion-based sampling methods. During the data collection process, two separate forms were used, which included questions about the personal information of the participants and their experiences regarding their traumatic experiences. Data analysis was provided through interpretative phenomenological analysis. Consequently, it revealed 4 meta-themes (cognitions about self, cognitions about others, cognitions about future/life, and cognitive, emotional and behavioral problems) and 20 sub-themes. The themes identified are worthlessness/insignificance, unlovable, helplessness, defectiveness, guilt, shame, loneliness/lack of social support, unreliability of people, people's selfishnessself/self-seeking, people's indifference, hopelessness of the future/life, meaninglessness of life, dangerousness/cruelty of life, unfairness of life, cognitive difficulties, inability to regulate emotions, low self-esteem, social withdrawal, sexual functioning problems, risky behaviors. The findings were discussed within the scope of the relevant literature and various suggestions were presented.