Dr Elaine Kavanagh is a researcher and practitioner in the Republic of Ireland. Her work has focused on a number of areas, including the experiences of non-offending relatives of individuals who have committed sexual offences, particularly those who have downloaded Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). In 2024, she and her co-authors, Elaine L. Kinsella and Patrick Ryan, published “‘Your world, everything just implodes, it really is a life-changing experience’: how do relatives of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) offenders navigate life following discovery of the offence?” in NOTA’s Journal of Sexual Aggression. This study is freely available here.

This first interview (between Dr Kavanagh and David Prescott and with an audience of interested professionals) for the Journal Club series began with a discussion of the challenges involved in conducting this research. Even collecting a sample proved difficult, with nearly every possible obstacle impeding the study. Several agencies had privacy policies designed to protect their clients. While these are clearly appropriate, they complicated research efforts aimed at helping those affected by abuse. No one wanted the research to fail, but navigating these barriers was daunting. On top of everything else, the interviewees themselves were understandably reluctant to discuss the most sensitive parts of their lives with researchers.

Eventually, one person agreed to an interview. What followed was instructive to researchers and practitioners alike: the first interviewee who met with Dr Kavanagh went on to tell others that she’d had a good experience and recommended that others participate in the study. With a topic as sensitive as this, it is not surprising that the usual channels for reaching potential subjects did not work. Instead, it was a “whisper network” of individuals, a small community in touch with each other but almost no one else, that made the study possible. In her characteristic humour, Dr Kavanagh quipped that it might have been easier to interview people in a witness protection program. 

Dr Kavanagh summarised her main findings and highlighted the interviewees’ experiences. Reflexive thematic analysis uncovered two themes: navigation through secondary stigma experiences and deep concerns about a “fragile future.” (Regarding this second point, the article says, “When considering the question about how participants viewed their future, a resounding response was one in which they saw their lives, going forward, as fragile and delicate. Participants’ narratives continued to depict ongoing trauma and uncertainty about what the future might hold but also reflected a tentative move toward a restoration of self-worth.”) 

While the study illustrates its findings clearly, the interview itself powerfully conveyed the extent of secondary stigma and victimisation, which most in the public would find difficult to comprehend. Interviewees described reorganising their lives to maintain a low profile, distancing themselves from former friends and acquaintances who judged them. Measures included staying indoors, avoiding public events, and shopping at odd hours when few people were around—all efforts to protect their safety, peace of mind, and freedom from judgment.

Nonetheless, many interviewees showed early signs of post-traumatic growth. One participant shared, “It’s probably taken two years for me to get back on track professionally and start believing in myself again. I had lost all faith in myself, and I think that was tied to this whole experience.” Another offered a more pragmatic perspective: “I’ve got no choice… we’re doing this because we’ve got no bloody choice.”

Unsurprisingly, Dr Kavanagh emphasised in our conversation that those non-offending family members of people convicted for CSAM offences should be recognised as victims, alongside those directly abused. This message resonated strongly with the audience, who voiced concerns about how the legal and child welfare systems often overlook the impact of secondary stigmatisation. The need for more effective policies in this area received considerable attention.

Dr. Kavanagh exemplifies the scientist-practitioner model. With 25 years of professional experience, she has witnessed the high cost of policies developed without scientific grounding. Her research reflects that practical wisdom, and despite numerous challenges, she and her colleagues have persevered in engaging individuals whose experiences offer vital lessons for the future.

• Submitted by David S. Prescott, LCSW, LICSW, Director of the Safer Society Foundation Continuing Education Center