The enduring consequences of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and its catastrophic effects on the health and well-being of survivors has been well documented. However, there is a dearth of evidence on the impact of CRSV on families of survivors who care for them. The aim of this study was to explore the ripple effects of CRSV on families of survivors living in three post-conflict districts in northern Uganda: Gulu, Lira, and Pader. We present emerging themes from qualitative interviews with 22 family members including parents, siblings, and partners. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, translated to English, and imported into MAXQDA Analytics Pro 12. We used a modified approach to grounded theory to analyze the data. Our findings show that family members faced multiple challenges as a result of their indirect exposure to survivors that were abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army. These included negative impacts on their relationship with the survivor, secondary traumatic stress, stigma, and challenges with caring for children born in captivity. Participants also shared coping mechanisms they used to mitigate psychological distress, including focusing on their faith, seeking support from social connections, and memory repression. The interviews revealed that most female participants did not seek formal care because they feared stigma and did not think it would be available for individuals not directly affected by sexual violence. Our findings point to the importance of moving beyond a narrow focus on the impact of CRSV on survivors and health care workers to a broader view of understanding the effects on families, and designing interventions that address their needs. Integrating care for families and other informal caregivers might mitigate secondary trauma, and ensure individuals are emotionally protected and equipped to care for survivors.

与冲突有关的性暴力 (CRSV) 的持久后果及其对幸存者健康和福祉的灾难性影响已得到充分记录。然而，关于 CRSV 对照顾他们的幸存者家庭的影响的证据不足。本研究的目的是探讨 CRSV 对生活在乌干达北部三个冲突后地区（Gulu、Lira 和 Pader）的幸存者家庭的连锁反应。我们通过对 22 名家庭成员（包括父母、兄弟姐妹和伴侣）的定性访谈来展示新出现的主题。访谈被记录下来，逐字转录，翻译成英文，并导入 MAXQDA Analytics Pro 12。我们使用修改后的扎根理论方法来分析数据。我们的调查结果表明，家庭成员因间接接触被上帝抵抗军绑架的幸存者而面临多重挑战。这些包括对他们与幸存者的关系的负面影响、继发性创伤压力、耻辱感以及照顾在囚禁中出生的孩子的挑战。参与者还分享了他们用来减轻心理困扰的应对机制，包括关注他们的信仰、寻求社会关系的支持和记忆压抑。访谈显示，大多数女性参与者没有寻求正规护理，因为她们害怕污名化，并且认为未直接受性暴力影响的个人无法获得这种护理。我们的研究结果表明，必须超越狭隘地关注 CRSV 对幸存者和医护人员的影响，转而更广泛地了解对家庭的影响，并设计满足他们需求的干预措施。整合对家庭和其他非正式照顾者的照顾可能会减轻继发性创伤，并确保个人在情感上受到保护并有能力照顾幸存者。