Talk with me about it: Child and youth perspectives on healing after child abuse

Child and youth perspectives are underrepresented in literature about healing after child abuse. This study aimed to 1) describe child and youth experiences with healing after abuse, 2) examine variation in essential healing factors by age cohort, and 3) identify child and youth informed opportunities to enhance healing after child abuse. and Setting: Sixty-one Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) across the United States were recruited to participate. A total of 3,715 responses from children aged 7-17 years old were collected via the National Children’s Alliance Outcome Measurement System from October 2021 to March 2023. This descriptive qualitative study used a cross-sectional survey design. Sample characteristics were assessed by frequencies and percentages. Qualitative data were analyzed using Braun and Clark’s six phase thematic analysis. Data were quantified to assess code occurrence and subgroup analyses were conducted to assess for variation among age cohort. The analytic sample (N = 3627) consisted of children aged 7-17 years old. The most common themes associated with healing after abuse included happiness, feeling better, feeling good, and safety. Perceptions about what was most important to heal varied per age cohort, but talking about it, family, friends, and music were prominent subthemes. Across all age groups, the theme of talking about it was the most important thing CACs could do to promote healing. Children and youth have valuable insights regarding their healing after child abuse. Opportunities exist to better integrate child voices into the programs and services that support them. • The perspectives of children are relatively absent in child abuse research. • For children, most important for healing after abuse is talking about it. • The most important healing needs children identify after abuse vary by age group. • Family, friends, pets, music, and toys are helpful in healing after child abuse. • A safe and comfortable environment is important for healing after child abuse.