Adult Male Survivors’ Disclosure of Childhood Sexual Abuse: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Abstract
The lack of understanding of the experience of disclosure to mental health professionals
for adult male survivors of child sexual abuse means that counseling assessment
instruments and diagnostic criteria are problematic and may contribute to counselors
inadvertently perpetuating social stereotypes that prevent disclosure. The purpose of this
study is to understand how adult male survivors of childhood sexual abuse understand
their experiences of disclosure to mental health professionals. The conceptual framework
is existential and approaches the problem from a phenomenological perspective. An
interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) design was employed to answer the
research question of how adult male survivors of childhood sexual abuse understand their
experiences of disclosure of the abuse to a mental health professional. Data were
collected using semi structured, in-person interviews and analyzed according to IPA
procedures of data analysis. Four themes were identified, Alone and Not Alone,
Throwing Grenades, Monsters in the Deep, and That’s Not What I Wanted. These
experiences derive from a deep desire for connection in the act of disclosure.
Understanding that disclosure is a relational experience rather than a unidirectional, linear
experience has implications for clinical practice, for counselor supervision and counselor
education. Implications for social change to support male survivors include raising
awareness, addressing legal disparities, and identifying leadership organizations who can
help diffuse more inclusive messaging concerning childhood sexual abuse.
Description
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Article
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Keywords
male victims, survivors, disclosure, research
Citation
Smith, J. M. (2020). Adult Male Survivors’ Disclosure of Childhood Sexual Abuse: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.