Bruised but not Broken: Self-concept of Sexually Abused Female Children
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Keywords
ideal self, self-concept, self-esteem, self-image, sexual abuse
Abstract
Sexual abuse is a social issue in the Philippines that affects the self-concept of victims. With the increasing number of cases, there is a need to explore this phenomenon and determine how it harmed the victim's self-concept. This qualitative research studied the lives of 13 female children under a government-operated residential institution using the narratives approach. Three components of self-concept were analyzed: self-esteem, self-image, and ideal self. Following the abuse, the participants had feelings of worthlessness, self-pity, self-blame and isolation. They perceived themselves as hateful, fearful, and helpless but this did not stop them from having dreams and being self-satisfied. Hence, the study suggests that psychological tests on self-concept be administered to the victims to provide an appropriate intervention for this type of population. Findings have implications to educational institutions with students who suffered from sexual abuse.
Publication History
Version of Record online: August 22, 2022
Manuscript accepted: April 4, 2022
Manuscript revised: February 9, 2022
Manuscript received: February 4, 2020
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