LABOR EXPERIENCES OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE SURVIVORS

This field study used the ethnographic method to describe and analyze the labor experiences of childhood sexual abuse survivors. The sample included seven sexual abuse survivors, five nurse-midwives, and three labor and delivery nurses. Data collection included in-depth interview s, participant observation in labor and delivery over a period of six years, and anecdotal material from the literature. Analysis followed S pradley's Developmental Research Sequence and included domain, taxonom ic, componential and theme analysis. Women reported both forgetting an d remembering abusive incidents, and described labor sensations remini scent of sexual abuse. A heuristic for appraising labor styles suggest ive of past sexual abuse includes fighting, taking control, surrenderi ng, and retreating. These styles are considered extremes of women's re actions to labor and are directly linked to posttraumatic stress disor der. This study demonstrated that it is important for perinatal caregi vers to understand the link between childhood sexual abuse and childbi rth so that they can assist women to have a positive birth experience