One in Six

Coping with Dissociative Identity Disorder, Photography and Art, rob goldstein, Surrealism

One in Six

This comes to me by way of survivor road.

Research has found that 1 in 6 men had sexually abusive experiences before age 18. A
A 2005 study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, on San Diego Kaiser Permanente HMO members, reported that 16% of males were sexually abused by the age of 18.

Males who have such experiences are less likely to disclose them than are females.

Only 16% of men with documented histories of sexual abuse (by social service agencies, which means it was very serious) considered themselves to have been sexually abused, compared to 64% of women with documented histories in the same study.

Men who have been sexually abused as children are at risk for serious emotional illness.

“Most studies show that the long-term effects of sexual abuse can be quite damaging for both males and females. One large study, conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, found that the sexual abuse of boys was more likely to involve penetration of some kind, which is associated with greater psychological harm.

The harm caused by sexual abuse mostly depends on things not determined by gender, including: the abuser’s identity, the duration of the abuse, whether the child told anyone at the time, and if so, whether the child was believed and helped.

Many boys suffer harm because adults who could believe them and help are reluctant, or refuse, to acknowledge what happened and the harm it caused. This increases the harm, especially the shame felt by boys and men, and leads many to believe they have to “tough it out” on their own. And that, of course, makes it harder to seek needed help in the midst of the abuse, or even years later when help is still needed.” (See How Unwanted or Abusive Sexual Experiences Can Cause Problems and How Being Male Can Make It Hard to Heal.)

1in6.org

21 thoughts on “One in Six”

  1. Pingback: One in Six | No, I'm not OK

      1. You are welcome. This is a very important issue that needs awareness. It is harder for men to speak about this and so many men just suffer and keep the secrets to themselves for their entire lives, which causes terrible psychological effects on them.
        Very good post. I was glad to pass it along.
        Annie ❤

        Liked by 3 people

      2. When I consider the suffering their selfishness causes I have to agree with you.

        But I include anyone who participates in making decisions that are fundamentally damaging to the life of any child.

        This includes people who ‘don’t want to be guilt tripped’ about not paying taxes….

        One would think from listening to the ravenous selfishness of some adults that the very worst thing you can do in the United States is cause someone to feel guilty about being a selfish prick.

        There is a difference between feeling guilty about nothing and doing things that are fundamentally evil while needing to be treated like a perfumed gift from God…

        Anyone who makes a decision that leaves a child hungry, battered or dead should be dragged through the gutters by chains.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh yes…I agree.

      For many of us it is the same as surviving a series of attempted homicides.

      Treatment is about getting past survival and into living. I’ve survived for most of my life, but I don’t think I really began to thrive until I accepted that it happened and decided to heal.

      Liked by 2 people

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