COPING SKILLS OF RITUAL ABUSE SURVIVORS - AN EXPLORATORY-STUDY

This research project was undertaken with survivors of ritual abuse to explore their coping skills at the time of the abuse and in adulthood around the memories of the abuse. In this qualitative study, data wer e gathered both from 14 therapists who specialize in treating survivor s of ritual abuse and from three survivors of ritual abuse. Data gathe ring utilized semistructured interview schedules and structured coping scales. Principal findings were that the ritual abuse survivors repre sented in this study used dissociation as the main coping mechanism bo th during the time of the abuse and in adulthood around memories of th e abuse, that there was a developmental progression of coping skills u sed by these survivors over time, and that they relied on the use of s elf-mutilating behaviors as creative means of affect management. Impli cations and future research are discussed.