Resonant Disruptions: Understanding Nurses’ Practice with Youth Survivors of Sexual Exploitation

Abstract

The sexual exploitation of youth is a global and local concern. Youth survivors of sexual exploitation often present to and require healthcare services but most nurses do not feel effectively equipped to care for this population. There is currently little nursing literature to guide nurses in their practice with youth survivors. In this thesis, I report on a study undertaken using philosophical hermeneutics guided by the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer and other contemporary hermeneutic theorists. Hermeneutics is a useful way to conduct research when little is known about a topic. I ask the research question, “How might we understand nurses’ experiences of working with youth survivors of sexual exploitation?” In hermeneutic research, interpretations provide the basis for answering the research question. Three interpretations are discussed in this study: stigma, refuge, and beautiful words; how to convey mattering to youth survivors of SE; and what nurses hold onto for themselves and their patients. The findings point to an increase in understanding of nursing experience, and to clear need for increased training for nurses and other healthcare professionals.