“Unless they bring it up, I won't go digging”: Psychiatric nurses' experiences of developing therapeutic relationships with adult survivors of child sexual abuse

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore psychiatric nurses' experiences of developing therapeutic relationships with adult survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA). Design and Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was adopted. Semistructured interviews were conducted with six registered psychiatric nurses. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings: Although participants were able to develop therapeutic relationships with survivors and cited the importance of interpersonal skills, they felt uncomfortable discussing CSA. Practice Implications: Given the importance of developing trusting relationships, more support needs to be provided for nurses so they can build stronger alliances with survivors of CSA.