Masculine norms, disclosure, and childhood adversities predict long-term mental distress among men with histories of child sexual abuse

dc.contributor.authorEaston, S. D.
dc.date.accessioned2018-02-14T18:38:17Z
dc.date.available2018-02-14T18:38:17Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.description.abstractChild sexual abuse (CSA) can have a profound effect on the long-term mental health of boys/men. However, not all men with histories of CSA experience psychopathology. To improve prevention and intervention services, more research is needed to understand why some male survivors experience mental health problems and others do not. The purpose of this study was to examine factors related to mental distress among a large, non-clinical sample of men with histories of CSA (N = 487). Using a cross-sectional design with purposive sampling from three national survivor organizations, data were collected through an anonymous Internet-based survey. Multivariate analyses found that only one of the four CSA severity variables—use of physical force by the abuser—was related to mental distress. Additional factors that were related to mental distress included the number of other childhood adversities, years until disclosure, overall response to disclosure, and conformity to masculine norms. Overall, the final model predicted 36% of the variance in the number of mental health symptoms. Mental health practitioners should include masculine norms, disclosure history, and childhood adversities in assessments and intervention planning with male survivors. To more fully explicate risk factors for psychopathology in this population, future studies with probability samples of men that focus on mediational processes and use longitudinal designs are needed.en_US
dc.identifier.citationEaston, S. D. (2014). Masculine norms, disclosure, and childhood adversities predict long-term mental distress among men with histories of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 38(2), 243-251.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213413002512
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11212/3727
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherChild Abuse & Neglecten_US
dc.subjectmental healthen_US
dc.subjectmale survivorsen_US
dc.subjectchild sexual abuseen_US
dc.subjectmasculinityen_US
dc.subjectAdverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)en_US
dc.subjectdisclosureen_US
dc.titleMasculine norms, disclosure, and childhood adversities predict long-term mental distress among men with histories of child sexual abuseen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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