The impact of child sexual abuse on attitudes toward god and the catholic church

Abstract

This article explores the effects of child sexual abuse by priests and other perpetrators on victims' trust in the Catholic Church, priesthood, and in their relationship to God. Adult Catholics (1,810) in the United States and Canada were separated into three groups: those who reported no childhood sexual abuse (N = 1,376), those who had been sexually abused as children but not by a priest (N = 307), and those who had been sexually abused by priests (N = 40). Analyses of variances compared the level of trust in priesthood, Church, and God of these three groups and found a significant decline from those "not abused" to those "abused by a priest." There was a slight decline in trust for those "abused but not by a priest," however, the results were statistically inconclusive. The 347 victims were then separated into two groups based upon their having received psychotherapy. The "treatment" group (N = 152) reported significantly less trust in the priesthood, Church, and in their relationship to God than the "no treatment" group (N = 194). This study highlighted the possible spiritual damage caused by child sexual abuse, particularly if the perpetrator was a religious leader, and supported the need to assess the religious impact of the victim's abuse and to include a process of spiritual healing.