Breaking or Bearing the Secret: Disclosure and Psychological Outcomes After Childhood Sexual Abuse

Introduction: A wide range of aversive psychological effects are associated with childhood sexual abuse (CSA), which may be influenced by factors such as the co-occurrence of additional types of childhood maltreatment and disclosure patterns. This study examined how additional childhood maltreatment (physical abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect), disclosure type (non-disclosure, partial-disclosure, full-disclosure), and recipient type (formal recipient, informal recipient, both formal and informal recipients) are associated to each other and symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Methods: An online sample of 327 adults (M = 41.3, SD = 12.8) who experienced CSA completed self-report measures of additional forms of childhood maltreatment, disclosure, PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Associations were tested using linear regression, ANOVA, and multinomial logistic regression. Results: Findings showed that more severe levels of additional maltreatment were significantly...Show moreIntroduction: A wide range of aversive psychological effects are associated with childhood sexual abuse (CSA), which may be influenced by factors such as the co-occurrence of additional types of childhood maltreatment and disclosure patterns. This study examined how additional childhood maltreatment (physical abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect), disclosure type (non-disclosure, partial-disclosure, full-disclosure), and recipient type (formal recipient, informal recipient, both formal and informal recipients) are associated to each other and symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Methods: An online sample of 327 adults (M = 41.3, SD = 12.8) who experienced CSA completed self-report measures of additional forms of childhood maltreatment, disclosure, PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Associations were tested using linear regression, ANOVA, and multinomial logistic regression. Results: Findings showed that more severe levels of additional maltreatment were significantly associated with more severe PTSD, depression, and anxiety. While additional maltreatment was not associated with disclosure type, it was associated with disclosure recipients. Furthermore, participants with higher maltreatment scores were more likely to disclose to formal recipients. Disclosure type was additionally significantly associated with psychopathology, with full-disclosers reporting lower symptoms. Partial-disclosers and individuals disclosing only to formal recipients reported the highest levels of psychopathology. Discussion: These findings indicate that the severity of additional maltreatment and the context of disclosure are both associated with psychological outcomes. Limitations include the cross-sectional design, and a predominantly female sample. Overall, the findings emphasize the need to consider additional maltreatment and the context of disclosure in order to support survivors of CSA.Show less

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Breaking or Bearing the Secret: Disclosure and Psychological Outcomes After Childhood Sexual Abuse