Gender-specific factors impacting upon males' disclosures of child sexual abuse

The purpose of this research was first, to identify why males sexually abused as children under-report their experiences of child sexual abuse. Secondly, the disclosure experiences of males sexually abused as children were examined and analyzed, with a particular emphasis placed on exploring the links between low disclosure rates, gender role socialization, and homophobia. Qualitative data were gathered during semi-structured interviews of men sexually abused during childhood. Issues and themes arising during interviews were generally consistent with those identified in the literature. However, the sample size was small and additional research---employing larger samples---should be completed in order to collect further qualitative data regarding the disclosure experiences of males sexually abused as children. Despite its limitations, this research does provide valuable insight into the experience of disclosure for male victims of child sexual abuse