The myth that boys are less traumatized by sexual abuse than girls has created further damage in some male sexual abuse victims. Sexual abuse inflicts severe emotional and often times physical trauma, and is a burden no one is able to carry alone. Yet the fear survivors share often leads to a life of silence, seclusion, and pain.
Incidence of Sexual Abuse of Males
Crimes involving all types of sexual trauma go largely unreported due to the secretive nature of the offense and the implied collusion that is forced upon victims by their perpetrators. The incidence of sexual abuse of male children is especially invisible because it is the lowest reported form of child abuse in the United States according to researchers, Schultz and Jones.
David Finkelhor, Ph.D., estimates that up to 92,000 male children under the age of 13 are sexually molested every year. A significant majority of these sexually abused boys report that they experienced multiple occurrences of victimization by a single perpetrator.
Effects of Child Sexual Abuse
Researchers have learned that the lasting effects of sexual abuse vary depending factors based on their experiences. Some of these factors include:
- age of the child when the abuse occurred, younger is generally more damaging
- who committed the abuse. Effects are by far more severe when the perpetrator was a parent, step-parent or another trusted family member.
- if violence accompanied the sexual abuse and if so, how severe
- duration and frequency of the abuse
- if the child told anyone, and if so what the response was. Doubting, ignoring, blaming or shaming furthers the damage.
Abuse Victims as Adult Males
Reported characteristics of adult males who were sexually abused as children include sexual preoccupation or compulsiveness, gender identity confusion , sexual orientation confusion, difficulty establishing stable, trusting relationships, depression, substance abuse, disturbances in self-esteem and body image and symptoms of chronic post-traumatic stress disorder.
The relationship between sexual abuse and homosexual behavior is not necessarily causal. Men who engage in same-sex behaviors are not necessarily gay. Not all male children and adolescents who suffer sexual abuse become sexual offenders and some researchers assert that no more than 30% of sex abuse victims actually repeat this cycle of abuse with their own families.
Support for Sexually Abused Males
Men who were sexually abused as a child or in their youth and have not sought help can find support with Male Survivor. They are committed to preventing, healing and eliminating all forms of sexual victimization of boys and men through support, treatment, education, advocacy and activism.
Male Survivor was formed in 1994 by a core group of individuals who attended the first professional Conference on Male Sexual Victimization in Minneapolis in 1988. This was a ground-breaking conference that was organized by dedicated mental health providers. They brought together professionals who wanted to better understand and treat adult male survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
If you know anyone who is need of support, let them know that Male Survivor is only a click away.
Further Reading:
Sources:
Sexual Abuse of Males, Prevalence, Possible Lasting Effects & Resources. Jim Hopper, Ph.D.
The Psychological Impact of Sexual Abuse: Content Analysis of Interviews with Male Survivors. David Lisak.
Crimes against Children Research Center, David Finkelhor, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology
British Journal of Psychotherapy, Volume 3, Issue 4.
Karen Stephenson - Karen has written for several newspapers and print media in addition to many online publications. She holds a B.A. in English and an ...
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