Sexual re-victimization : an approach from the perspective of male victims.

The issue with sexual re-victimization has long been studied. However, male victims are, more than often, not the main focus partly due to social stigma and many other factors. In fact, studies have shown that males and females are almost equally vulnerable to sexual re-victimization. Therefore this review aims to provide new directions in helping male victims more effectively escape sexual re-victimization. It is then important to understand if gender differences exist in coping and resilience development. And from there, re-evaluate the effectiveness of existing treatment programs for male victims, since most programs are currently designed mainly to cater to female victims. Indeed, various literatures have recorded gender differences in terms of coping and resilience development. Males are in general, less expressive and emotionally sensitive than females. And in terms of coping, males tend to project their negative feelings externally while females do it internally. The problem then lies in the existing treatment models as most of them emphasize on improving communication and interpersonal relationships, which have been found to be more effective for female victims. Therefore, the review suggested some recommendations that can be incorporated into existing treatment programs, in hope that the programs will become more effective for the male sexual abuse victims in preventing sexual re-victimization.Bachelor of Art