Studies dealing with the experiences of non-offending mothers from the general population and minority groups after their child’s disclosure of sexual abuse are scarce, and studies on mothers from the Jewish ultra-Orthodox community are non-existent. This study takes an initial step in filling this gap by exploring how the normalization of sexual abuse shapes these mothers’ experiences. A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted on a sample of 21 mothers from the ultra-Orthodox sector whose children had been sexually abused. It consisted of in-depth, semi-structured interviews of the mothers followed by a drawing task on their experience. The analysis of the interviews yielded four central themes: the role of social stigmatization and religion on the mother’s ability to share her child’s abuse; the effect of the disclosure on the mothers’ mental state and maternal competency; the mothers’ ongoing experience in the shadow of this unprocessed/unresolved trauma; and the mothers’ coping strategies, including acceptance, faith, and meaning making. The findings highlight the influence of the tension between the need to adhere to religious norms and preserve the social fabric and the need to enhance mothers’ and children’s well-being.

涉及普通人群和少数群体的非犯罪母亲在孩子披露性虐待后的经历的研究很少，而且对来自犹太极端正统社区的母亲的研究也不存在。这项研究通过探索性虐待的正常化如何塑造这些母亲的经历，迈出了填补这一空白的第一步。对来自极端正统派部门的 21 名母亲的样本进行了定性现象学研究，这些母亲的孩子曾遭受过性虐待。它包括对母亲的深入、半结构化的采访，然后是关于她们的经历的绘画任务。对访谈的分析得出了四个中心主题：社会污名化和宗教对母亲分担孩子虐待的能力的作用；披露对母亲精神状态和母亲能力的影响；母亲在这种未处理/未解决的创伤阴影下的持续经历；以及母亲的应对策略，包括接受、信念和意义建构。调查结果强调了遵守宗教规范和维护社会结构的需要与提高母亲和儿童福祉的需要之间的紧张关系的影响。