Adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse: The case of Mormon women

Adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse who are members of patri-archal religions face a particular challenge because church teachings and interactions with church members may present barriers to the full recognition and healing of their abuse. This article reports on a study of the experiences of 71 Mormon women survivors of abuse in their dealings with church leaders and the women’s responses to these interactions. Although the social work profession can trace its roots to the religiously inspired Charity Organization Societies of the turn of the century, contemporary social workers rarely apply knowledge of religious principles and organizations to their practice. Their failure to do so may be a disservice to the many religious persons who seek help from them. Many of these clients belong to religious groups that espouse a patriarchal Authors ’ Note: The research on which this article was based was sup-ported by a grant from the Eccles Foundation that was administered by th