Journey Towards Growth: The Development and Effectiveness of a Logotherapy – Based Intervention in Achieving Posttraumatic Growth Among Filipino Adolescent Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

Abstract

The sexual abuse of children is a global catastrophe. Several research have already established the detrimental effects of child sexual abuse on the survivors, ranging from physical to psychological repercussions. As a result, survivors of trauma utilize different coping techniques to deal with the negative impacts of the trauma, such as confronting these challenges and viewing them as an opportunity for personal development which can be referred to as posttraumatic growth. It is therefore the goal of this study to facilitate posttraumatic growth among Filipino survivors of child sexual abuse through a logotherapy – based intervention. This study included 50 Filipino child sexual abuse survivors who were mostly female and within the age range of 11 – 17 years old. The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory and the National Stressful Events Survey PTSD Short Scale were administered to assess the variables in this study. Using an independent sample t – test, results revealed that there is a significant difference in the posttraumatic symptoms and posttraumatic growth between the groups. This implies that the logotherapy – based treatment plan was an effective tool to reduce the posttraumatic symptoms and improve the posttraumatic growth of the experimental group.

Keywords

• child sexual abuse
• sexual violence
• logotherapy
• posttraumatic symptoms
• posttraumatic growth