Understanding the Psychological and Adaptive Functioning of Adults Males Who Have Experienced Childhood Sexual Abuse

Abstract

Men who are victims of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are a marginalized and often silenced population. However, they are becoming increasingly recognized as a population that is substantial in size and that warrants further understanding. With a commonly accepted statistic of 1 in 6 men having experienced CSA, broader knowledge gaps linked to comprehensively understanding the psychological and domain-specific outcomes for this population still remain. Furthermore, there has been little in the way of in-depth research on the concept of emotion regulation among adult men with histories of CSA and the important emotional mechanisms and modulation strategies which have potentially hindered their overall well-being. This two-article dissertation, using multi-method information from 109 Ottawa-based men (69 with histories of CSA and 40 non-CSA men), brings awareness to the unique impact of CSA on broader areas of psychological and adaptive functioning, as well as provides a more specific and comprehensive understanding of the link between CSA, emotion regulation and functioning outcomes. In Study, I examined CSA characteristics among a sample of Canadian men (e.g., age of onset, disclosure experiences, perpetrator profiles) and expanded upon the limited examination of CSA effects within the context of co-occurring maltreatment (i.e., physical abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, and neglect) and non-maltreatment childhood adversities (e.g., parental divorce, parental health impairments). I also looked more comprehensively at the impact of CSA in males across various areas of psychological functioning (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress, dissociation, anger, PTSD), both from a self-report and clinician-administered perspective. Findings from Study 1 highlight the importance of controlling for both maltreatment and non-maltreatment childhood experiences, as well as the unique contribution of CSA to poorer psychological and adaptive outcomes. Building on these results, Study 2 comprehensively examined men’s emotion regulation, using a multi-method approach (e.g., trait and state-based, and from a semi-structured interview), and how these facets of emotion regulation are linked to psychological and adaptive functioning outcomes among adult males. Study 2 findings outline a more detailed understanding of the larger concept of emotion regulation and the importance of specific and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies as part of trauma treatment and its associations with mental health. Although further research is needed with a large-scale prospective study design, these two studies represent important research and clinical implications, including tailoring assessment and treatment to meet the individual needs of males with histories of CSA.