{"id":24039,"date":"2022-02-22T15:57:29","date_gmt":"2022-02-22T21:57:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/?p=24039"},"modified":"2022-03-30T13:25:19","modified_gmt":"2022-03-30T18:25:19","slug":"und-psychologists-hope-to-help-break-cycle-of-sexual-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/2022\/02\/und-psychologists-hope-to-help-break-cycle-of-sexual-abuse\/","title":{"rendered":"UND psychologists helping to break cycle of sexual abuse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unique study examines risk factors for daughters of mothers who suffered from rape or other sexual abuse<\/strong><\/p>\n

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RaeAnn Anderson (left), a licensed psychologist and assistant professor of psychology, and Angie Minnich, a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology, are studying why the daughters of mothers who experienced sexual abuse in their lifetime are twice as likely to become victims themselves. They hope their research could lead to new treatment or therapy techniques that could help break the cycle of violence. Photo by Shawna Schill\/UND Today<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When you\u2019re about to be a first-time mom, the experts will tell you everything. A swaddled newborn is a happy newborn. Put baby to sleep on her back. Breastmilk is best. If junior fusses, check first if he\u2019s hungry or wet.<\/p>\n

They seem to have all the answers. But the one thing they\u2019re unlikely to tell you is how you can keep your own daughter safe from experiencing the same sexual trauma you suffered in your lifetime.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s just one of many questions two UND psychology researchers are hoping to answer: Why are the daughters of mothers who experienced rape or other sexual abuse twice as likely to become victims themselves? And what can mothers and clinicians do to stop the cycle from repeating?<\/p>\n

RaeAnn Anderson, a licensed psychologist and assistant professor of psychology, and Angie Minnich, a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology<\/a>, say that although the statistics are startling, very little research exists to explain the complicated mother-daughter dynamic.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a complex problem. And it\u2019s a complex project,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to approach it head-on and delicately, in a way that\u2019s not blaming. We don\u2019t want mothers to feel even more guilty about this horrible thing that happened to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy and large, these mothers really want to protect their daughters, yet there might be things regarding their mental health or their parenting abilities, their family structures or their community resources, that get in the way of them being able to protect their daughters from abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n

This specific type of cyclical abuse is more formally known as the \u201cintergenerational continuity of sexual violence victimization,\u201d Minnich explained, and it\u2019s the topic of her doctoral dissertation.<\/p>\n

Ahmad Endowment<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The research \u2014 just one of more than a dozen studies underway in Anderson\u2019s Sexual Violence Prevention Research Laboratory \u2014 was made possible by the Joyce and Aqueil Ahmad Endowment. Anderson recently was awarded the annual endowment, which comes with a $1,500 gift to support efforts to promote peace and nonviolence. Aqueil Ahmad, a former UND sociology professor, was instrumental in establishing the Peace Studies program at UND.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis award means UND really values the kind of research we\u2019re trying to do,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cThis kind of research is very difficult to carry out. The topic of violence research can make people emotionally uncomfortable, and from a practical standpoint, it\u2019s really hard to recruit 215 mother-daughter pairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo whenever we get research funding for these kinds of things, it\u2019s like a vote of confidence in our ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joelle Ruthig, chair of the Department of Psychology, says this year marks the third in a row that a member of her department has received the award. In 2019, Professor Alan King was recognized for his research focusing on child maltreatment and aggressive development. And in 2020, Associate Professor Andre Kehn was recognized for his work on understanding hate motivation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exciting to see all the important work being recognized,\u201d Ruthig said. \u201cI think the application of psychology research sometimes can be more difficult for people to discern, but the impact this research can have within the community is very clear.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Anderson, Ruthig added: \u201cShe is enthusiastic, and she brings great energy to the department. In addition to being a productive researcher, she also puts great effort into mentoring her students \u2014 taking paying it forward to heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mother-daughter study<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Anderson and Minnich say they\u2019re in the early stages of their mother-daughter research and have gathered about 14 percent of their target sample size. It all begins with an anonymous online survey that can take 30 to 45 minutes to complete. Daughters, who must be between 18 and 35 years of age to be eligible, will find their version of the survey here<\/a>. Mothers will take a separate survey<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll your answers are anonymous, and no one has to talk to us,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cOf course, we\u2019re happy to talk to them if they want to talk, but they can stay completely anonymous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though complete mother-daughter pairs are necessary for the research, she pointed out that they will not see each other\u2019s answers.<\/p>\n

In the end, Minnich says she hopes to identify the different risk factors that can impact the probability of falling victim to sexual abuse.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking at both the familial level and individual factors \u2014 things like demographic characteristics, race and socioeconomic status. How is the relationship between mom and daughter? Do they talk about their experiences of sexual violence and know the history?\u201d she said. \u201cAnd then more at the societal or community level, too. Do people around them think rape is OK? Are they coming from the same sex education background?\u201d<\/p>\n

Both researchers say it\u2019s a lot to take in, but they believe the data will lead to a better understanding of the cycle of violence so therapists and others can better target key aspects of people\u2019s lives in order to break the cycle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis probably will be a more exploratory study at first,\u201d Minnich said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we are going to have buckets of data and important implications,\u201d Anderson added.<\/p>\n

For example, she said, current treatment or therapy techniques might be altered to address this specific need.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know how to do PTSD therapy, and we know how to do parenting therapy, but how do we do those simultaneously? And for parenting interventions, what additional content do we need to make it not just accessible but most useful?\u201d Anderson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know from previous research that people with untreated trauma difficulties don\u2019t do as well with normal therapy. They need that little extra help to be able to get the most out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She suggested one possible outcome could be the development of a specialized two-session protocol for families that would allow them to feel more comfortable about opening up and talking about that history of abuse.<\/p>\n

Added Minnich: \u201cWhen you\u2019ve been traumatized by some form of sexual assault, it\u2019s super hard to talk about. Even if you\u2019re teaching a parenting class, most people would rather just skip that section about talking to kids about rape \u2014 but adding the trauma-informed lens is so helpful when it comes to understanding this and making a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Want to help or learn more?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you want to learn more specifics about the study, you may email Anderson at raeann.anderson@und.edu<\/a> or Minnich at angela.h.minnich@und.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n