Psychological consequences of child sexual abuse by Catholic Church representatives: A systematic review of literature

The objective of this systematic review of the literature on ecclesiastical sexual abuse was to identify the psychological impacts of this type of violence on victims. The initial literature searches were conducted between October 10, 2020 and December 17, 2020. Thus, the update of searches was conducted between October 26, 2020 and January 23, 2021. The articles included were obtained from the PsycINFO, Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. Inclusion criteria were established, and an initial selection was made by means of titles and abstracts, which were examined by two reviewers independently. The selected papers were examined using the same reviewer process. Eighteen studies were included out of 2,189 titles and abstracts reviewed. Overall, the studies evidenced a negative psychological impact following child sexual abuse occurring in church settings. Highlighting spiritual harm as a specific feature of ecclesiastical sexual abuse, which, in addition to the usual consequences of sexual abuse, places victims in a complex position of presenting a broader spectrum of negative effects following abuse. The findings of the present study allow a better understanding of this problem and provide background for the development of recovery strategies appropriate to the needs of these victims.