The lived experiences of adult female victims of child abuse.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the lived experiences of female victims of domestic violence who also identified themselves as victims of physical abuse as children. There have been numerous studies of identifying perpetrators of violence as having a history of experienced violence in the family of origin. However, few studies address the victims/survivors of domestic violence and the historical significance of abuse in the family of origin. It is estimated that greater than 50% of the victims of domestic violence were also victims of abuse as a child. The research design partially followed the qualitative ethnonursing methodology. This pilot project consisted of seven females between the ages of 37 and 58. These women were members of a long-standing support group for battered women. The Pitts-Williams Inventory was used to obtain data. The instrument contained six major research questions, with sub questions. Data analysis was done by identifying major themes that emerged. Eight themes were identified. The majority of the women identified their mother as the perpetrator. They described a continuous cluster of violence, which included several different forms of violence being used consistently in order to maintain control and foster isolations. This type of violence continued in throughout their childhood and adult life.