2007 Adult vicarious victims of child abuse

Having experienced sexual abuse as a child, adults frequently experience sexual issues. These issues, by definition, have an impact on their partners who have been labelled as “vicarious victims” of that violence. This case study shows how both married spouses were victimized vicariously even though neither was the actual victim of abuse, as in the husband’s knowledge of his sister being abused by their father. It also serves as an example of how, when combining cognitive and behavioral therapies, it is crucial to correctly identify the underlying automatic, negative belief.