Male Partners of Women Who Are Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse Needed for Dissertation Research

I am Tonya Thomas, a doctoral candidate in the Couple and Family Therapy program at Alliant International University currently completing my dissertation under the supervision of Dr. Alba Nino. I am conducting a study about the therapeutic needs of male partners of women who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Participants in this study will be asked to share information about their experiences while in couple’s therapy with the survivor of childhood sexual abuse. This study has been approved by the Alliant International University Institutional Review Board (IRB).

I am writing to ask if you would kindly share the attached flier with others who may be interested in participating in my study, or who may have contact with potential participants. This study is focused as you will see on the partner’s experience of conjoint/couples therapy, and not on the sexual abuse survivor. Below is a bit more of what I’ll be sharing with potential participants before they are interviewed.

Below is the info presented to participants who have met criteria:

This research project is a qualitative study designed to help researchers and therapists better understand the therapeutic needs of the male partners of female childhood sexual abuse survivors. Participants in this study will be asked to share information about their experiences of therapy while in couple’s therapy with the survivor of childhood sexual abuse.

Academic and Professional Publication of this Research Study:
The results of this study will be presented in a doctoral dissertation and published in scientific journals, and may be presented at professional meetings, conferences, or published articles, as long as you are not identified and cannot reasonably be identified from it. Findings of this study may be published for professional and academic purposes. Publications will include descriptions of themes, quotes, and statements that emerge during the interviews, however names or any identifying information will not be disclosed or revealed in any published materials.

Potential Benefits:
The direct benefit to you may be that you learn more about your experience and have the opportunity to reflect on positive changes you have made in your life and your relationships. Others may benefit too in learning about your experience, knowledge, and information gained from this study. And, therapists may learn to more effectively provide assistance and therapeutic services to partners of childhood sexual abuse survivors.

Potential Risks:
There may be risks to participate in this study. Although the focus of this research study is on your experience, feelings of mild anxiety may arise after reflecting on the impact of couples’ therapy and your relationship with your intimate partner who has experienced childhood sexual abuse. Answering these questions may result in you having to reflect on painful and traumatic experiences of your relationship and the experiences you had or didn’t have in therapy.

You may temporarily feel that you are back in that time being described. If any of these occur and feel unmanageable, you may stop the interview at any time. You may also take a break at any time throughout the interview. Time will be spent at the end of the interview to answer any questions or concerns and/or process any emotions that may have surfaced during the interview. The researcher will spend whatever time is necessary to make sure you do not leave feeling emotionally overwhelmed or at risk. Resources and/or referrals to your local area will be made upon request.

Confidentiality and Anonymity Statement:
As a participant in this research study, you have the right to privacy and all information leading to identification will be kept confidential, unless otherwise required by law. *California law mandates the filing and reporting of reasonable suspicions of child (if the child is still under the age of 18) or elder abuse. Participation in this research could result in the researcher being required to report child or elder abuse. For example, if information is disclosed where children under the age of 18 are currently living with or are in close contact with someone who has been identified as abusing another person, regardless if they have or have not been legally charged, will be reported to the local child protection services or the police. It is also possible that under certain circumstances, data could be subpoenaed by court order. Additional reportable exceptions to confidentiality include suicidality and homicidality. *Indicate appropriate state for participant’s geographic location.

The researcher will take every precaution to keep the participant’s identification anonymous by use of a pseudonym chosen by the participant or assigned by the researcher. The audio recording of the interview will be transcribed by an outside professional transcription service who has signed a confidentiality agreement binding him/her to keep all information heard through the interview confidential. No demographics or other identifying information will be provided to the outside professional transcription service. If identifying information is mistakenly disclosed during the recorded interviews, the identifying information will be removed during the transcription process. She/he will return all audio recordings and transcribed data to the researcher upon completion of this interview.

Storage of and Destruction of Data:
Demographics or any other identifying information will be stored separate from the audio recordings and transcribed data in order to keep confidentiality and anonymity of the research participant. Unedited data transcripts will only be seen by the researcher, the transcriber, and the dissertation committee chair to ensure anonymity. Upon publication of the doctoral dissertation, any and all identifying information of the participant will be destroyed by the researcher. Hard copy files with identifying information will be shredded, electronic copies with identifying information will be deleted, and the email account used for communication during the study will be deleted by the researcher. All data and audio recordings where the identifying information has been removed, will be kept by the researcher indefinitely for future use, upon signed approval by the participant on the consent form.

Contact Information:
If you have any questions regarding this research study or your participation, you may contact any of the following between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Pacific Time.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Tonya Thomas, M.S., Friends University
Doctoral Student of Alliant International University, Irvine, Ca.
714-881-9447
tthomas1@alliant.edu

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Alba Nino
Assistant Professor – Alliant International University
(858) 635-4708
anino@alliant.edu