The Forgiveness Process Among Emerging Adult Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Violence

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the forgiveness process among emerging adult women who survived childhood sexual violence within the family environment. Intrafamilial sexual violence is a traumatic experience with long-term effects on survivors’ psychological functioning, particularly because the perpetrator is often a close person who should provide safety and protection. The impacts include anxiety, fear, prolonged trauma, difficulty trusting others, self-blame, and barriers to developing interpersonal relationships. This study used a qualitative approach with a phenomenological design to gain an in-depth understanding of participants’ subjective experiences. Participants were selected using purposive sampling with the criteria of emerging adult women who had experienced childhood sexual violence perpetrated by close family members. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that the forgiveness process is complex, gradual, and nonlinear. Most participants remained in the uncovering phase, characterized by dominant avoidance motivation and revenge motivation, whereas benevolence motivation had not developed optimally. Forgiveness was understood more as an effort toward self-healing and releasing emotional burden than as reconciliation with the perpetrator. Factors influencing this process included the severity of trauma, the relationship with the perpetrator, social support, religiosity, and the individual’s ability to make meaning of the traumatic experience. These findings underscore the importance of trauma-informed approaches in psychological interventions for survivors of intrafamilial sexual violence so that psychological recovery can occur in a more adaptive and sustainable manner.