McMillen, C., Zuravin, S., & Rideout, G. (1995). Perceived benefit from child sexual abuse. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 63(6), 1037-1043.
People often report perceptions of benefit from adverse life experiences. In this study, adult perceptions of benefit from child sexual abuse were examined in a sample of 154 low-income women who were sexually abused as children. Almost half reported some perceived benefit. The benefits fell into 4 main categories: protecting children from abuse, self-protection, increased knowledge of child sexual abuse, and having a stronger personality. ...