Women's journey of recovery from sexual assault trauma : a grounded theory

Includes bibliographical referencesThousands of women and children experience sexual assault trauma annually in South Africa. The challenge posed by recovery from sexual assault trauma is a reality that confronts the victims and survivors of sexual assault, their families and the larger community of service providers in the context of the threat of HIV/AIDS. Yet, little research has been conducted on recovery from sexual assault as a phenomenon. There are even fewer studies about the women's response to or recovery from sexual assault trauma. The purpose of the study was to explore and analyse the journey of recovery which is undertaken by women who have been sexually assaulted, with the aim of discovering and developing the grounded theory of recovery from sexual assault trauma within the first six months following the event of rape. The main research question was: What constitutes the journey of recovery undertaken by women within the first six months following sexual assault