The Journey From Being in a Mental Prison to Disclosure and Freedom: Experiences of Male Child Sexual Abuse Survivors.

Abstract

Background: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has enduring effects on survivors' long-term physical, mental and social health, but is a neglected field within nursing. Research indicates that nurses are often underprepared for meeting survivors and may unwittingly contribute to their feelings of re-shaming.

Methods: Through 14 in-depth interviews, this phenomenological study explored the experiences of seven Icelandic male CSA survivors, aged 30 to 55, all of whom had endured repeated childhood sexual violence.

Findings: The survivors experienced complex trauma in their childhood because of the sexual violence. They suffered in silence and could not even express their horrible experience to themselves. The perpetrators identified their weak points as children and played on them, using their young age. They were left with lingering shame and guilt, self-identity confusion, low self-worth and disconnection with themselves and others. They tried various ways to escape their inner pain. They were never asked screening questions for CSA, experienced a complete lack of trauma-informed support and felt that nobody knew how to help male CSA survivors. They all reached a breaking point and disclosed the violence, which was a turning point in their recovery and healing; they felt that they had been in a mental prison, and the disclosure set them free. Even if disclosure sometimes had destructive consequences, they began reconnecting with themselves and others, particularly fellow survivors, who understood them best. They all emphasised that recovery and healing are a constant, long-term process and called for screening questions for CSA and trauma-focused care.

Conclusions: Nurses have been calling for not just education and training specific to CSA, but also clinical supervision and guidelines to enhance their preparedness. Hopefully, the findings deepen nurses' understanding of CSA, its disclosure and the role they and other healthcare professionals can play in the recovery and healing of male survivors.