Intergenerational trauma and cultural idioms of distress: A case study of childhood sexual abuse and dissociative phenomena in socio-economic marginality

Abstract

This study examines the case of a 23-year-old woman who survived Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA) and presently exhibits dissociative identity disorder, locally attributed to spiritual possession during religious festivals. The case is established within a context of severe socio-economic deprivation, persistent family conflict, and unidentified mental illness in a primary caregiver. The survivor’s father, diagnosed with chronic psychosis and displaying narcissistic traits, reported persistent delusional beliefs involving supernatural influence, a history of interpersonal violence, and an extramarital relationship framed as the result of magical coercion. The paper endorse a qualitative, single-case study methodology, engulf in-depth clinical interviews, developmental history mapping, and genogram analysis. The discussion draws upon trauma theory, the model of structural dissociation, and the literature on intergenerational transmission of trauma to interpret the interaction between the father’s psychopathology and the survivor’s developmental trajectory. The phenomenon of dissociative possession is considered both as an idiom of distress within the cultural setting and as an expression of unresolved trauma and impaired emotional regulation. The findings highlight the convergence of parental mental illness, early exposure to sexual boundary violations, emotional neglect, and cultural silence around abuse in shaping the survivor’s vulnerability to dissociation and identity fragmentation. The study emphasises the importance of early intervention, integrated trauma-informed care, and culturally sensitive approaches to mental health and abuse prevention. This case offers insights into how unresolved trauma in one generation may perpetuate cycles of harm in the next.