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The qualitative grounded theory approach in this concurrent embedded research design encompassed the collection and analyses of both the qualitative and quantitative data, where psychometric instruments were concomitantly administered to supplement the qualitative findings.

Furthermore, data derived from the Background Data Questionnaire and interview sessions contributed towards a demographic background for each participant, inclusive of both the sexual abuse and non-abuse related data. These were subsequently collated and analysed statistically for further interpretive inferences to be drawn.

The non-abuse demographic data is tabulated and interpreted below, while the sexual abuse-related data is integrated into the grounded theory model later in this chapter.

Demographic Information

Age, Education, Gender, Ethnicity, and Marital Status

The 22 research participants consisted of 10 females (45.5%) and 12 males (54.5%). Their ages range from 17 to 51 years old, with the mean age of 34.5 years (SD = 8.8); 36.6 years for females (SD = 8.5) and 32.9 years for males (SD = 8.9)(See Table 3).

The modal age is 27.5 years. Seventeen (77.3%) participants are ethnically Chinese, four (18.2%) are Indians, and one (4.5%) Eurasian. All the females are Chinese. 45.5% of participants are married, five females (50%) and five males (41.7%). All these couples are in their first marriage, with 3 females (30%) and 2 males (16.7%) having started families, averaging two children for each family.

Six participants (3 females and 3 males) are university graduates; one has a doctoral degree and two are pursuing their post-graduate degrees. Seven participants (3 females and 4 males) had Polytechnic education, and the remaining nine (4 females and 5 males) had secondary to post-secondary ‘A’ Level education.

In terms of employment, seven females and five males are professionals and managers, while the remaining ten are students, executives, and employed in the human services industry.

Religion and Religiosity

Although sixteen (72.7%) of the participants had parents who professed a religion different from their own, 95.5% of them professed to be Christians, with one person who said that she did not belong to any religion (see Table 4). Twenty (90.9%), consisting of 9 females and 11 males, claim to be religious, attending at least two to five religious services each month.

Mental Health History and Length of Time in Therapy

Four females (40%) and six males (50%) had undergone psychiatric treatment at least once in their lifetime (see Table 5). Of these, 2 females (20%) and 3 males (25%) are still under outpatient psychiatric care at the time of the interview.

Four females (40%) and nine males (75%) were in therapy, and the mean length of time in therapy respectively are 5 (SD = 6.1) years and 1.9 (SD = 0.6) years. One female had been in therapy for 14 years. When the latter participant is excluded from the computation, the mean length of time for females dropped to 2 (SD = 1) years.

Information on the Family of Participants.

One male (8.3%) and four females (40%) were not staying with their respective family before they were 16 years old (see Table 6). Reasons vary from parents’ divorce to being fostered out as a result of working parents. One female participant had been given up for adoption when she was a baby.

Five females (50%) claimed to be closer to one of their parents, while nine males (75%) said they were closer to their mothers.

Parents' relationships were described to be poor by five females (50%) and five males (41.7%) (see Table 7), and family relationship was indicated to be not close by six females (60%) and five males (41.7%).

Six females (60%) and six males (50%) said they came from upper or middle class homes. Six of the females (60%), and two males (16.7%) lived in private housing with their families.

Relevant material of my postgraduate thesis will be summarized in this blog over the coming weeks. Appendices, statistical tables, and bibliographical details are excluded.

About Coram Deo

Coram Deo — before the face of God. This blog reflects on Scripture, world events, science, music, psychology, and the human mind — always through the lens of Christian faith. All of life is lived before the face of God.