Survivors’ lived experiences of posttraumatic growth after institutional childhood abuse: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Abstract Background Institutional childhood abuse (ICA) represents a chronic and severe form of childhood maltreatment and is associated with a host of adverse outcomes. However, there is some evidence to suggest that survivors can also experience positive psychological change after institutional childhood abuse and neglect. Objective To examine the lived experiences of posttraumatic growth (PTG) in adult survivors of institutional childhood abuse. Participants and setting Nine survivors of historical institutional abuse in Ireland ranging in age from 41 to 75 years (M = 60.5). Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore survivors’ experiences of positive change after institutional upbringing. Data were analysed in the tradition of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Results The analysis yielded two superordinate themes. The first major theme, ‘Survivor Identity’ described participant’s subjective understanding of their survivorship through five subthemes. The second major theme, ‘Engendering Growth’ comprised seven subthemes which collectively identified key factors and processes related to positive change and posttraumatic growth after significant early-life maltreatment. Conclusions Findings underscore the importance of supporting survivors to construct a comprehensive self-narrative that identifies their personal strengths and growthful experiences, whilst also acknowledging the continued distress associated with their unique survivorship trajectory.