From acrimony to forgiveness: How adolescents make sense of childhood maltreatment

Authors

Katherine Irwin, University of Hawai'i

Abstract

"This paper examines 16 adolescents’ narratives about the abuse they experienced during childhood. To date, most research examining child abuse (CA) survivorship and recovery has been conducted with adults who look back on their early experiences. Consequently, this study fills gaps in our knowledge by offering a youth-centered view of survivors’ efforts to cope with CA. The data come from a 12-year qualitative study of a group counseling program for high school students in Hawaiʻi. The findings revealed that a minority (n = 2) of the teens had negative views of their lives and futures, while the majority (n = 14) achieved a sense of well-being and life satisfaction. Notably, the 14 optimistic teens diverged in terms of coping mechanisms. Seven developed positive senses of themselves by focusing on their independence and distancing themselves from their abusers, often expressing anger at those who had harmed them. Seven found solace by maintaining a sense of belonging with adults and extending compassion toward abusive parents and others. Overall, these findings reveal a view of survivorship that includes multifaceted endeavors and diverging healing processes."

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Irwin, Katherine (2026) "From acrimony to forgiveness: How adolescents make sense of childhood maltreatment," Qualitative Criminology (QC): Vol. 15: No. 2, Article 1.
Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/qc/vol15/iss2/1