Institutional Child Abuse: The Role of Disclosure, Risk, and Protective Factors in Understanding Trauma Responses

The research examined impacts and recovery from institutional child abuse. There were three linked studies; a survey of 10 institutional abuse victims, a Rapid Evidence Assessment of 26 UK-based institutional child abuse case reviews, and a quantitative study of 384 adults reporting either institutional child abuse (n = 93), at home abuse (n = 191) or no abuse (n = 100). Collectively there was evidence for a focus on negative impacts and disclosure. There was an indirect effect of institutional abuse on PTSD symptoms mediated by personality dysfunction but not strength factors or resilience. The research highlighted the importance of disclosure and integrates findings into a preliminary conceptual model, the Integrated Model of Institutional Child Abuse impacts (IMICA).