The parental experience and emotional response to sibling sexual abuse: When a parent's most valuable gift becomes a source of trauma

Background: Sibling sexual abuse, believed to be the most common form of sexual abuse, is a marginalized area of study. Even so, available literature largely focuses on the survivors and a gap remains in understanding the experience of the parents in these circumstances. Objective: The study aims to examine the experience of parents who learn that sexual abuse has been perpetrated on their child(ren) by a sibling(s). Participants and setting: The sample includes 58 participants who identify as a parent of a child who was sexually abused by a sibling, a child who sexually harmed a sibling, or both. The sample was recruited by 5WAVES, a grassroots charity that supports families experiencing sibling sexual trauma. Methods: Participants completed a voluntary and anonymous online questionnaire which inquired on how they learned of the abuse in their family as well as how they reacted and continue to cope. The current qualitative analysis follows a reflexive thematic method and is a portion of a larger mixed-methods study. Results: Four overarching themes were identified: (1) Parental trauma experience upon learning of sibling sexual trauma, (2) Initial and continual parental emotional responses to the trauma, (3) Breakdown of the ideal family and (4) Parental attempts at coping. Conclusions: These results recognize the unique trauma experienced by parents where sibling sexual abuse occurred in their family. It acknowledges the crucial need for clinicians, professionals, family and friends to support parents during this time in order that they can best support their children and family.