Citation

Valentine SE, Pantalone DW. Psychol. Trauma 2013; 5(5): 417-425.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/a0029094

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Interpersonal violence researchers have begun to focus on the role of perception of abuse experiences in post-abuse adjustment, and have posited that there may be something critical about a mismatch between having experienced abuse and actually labeling an experience as "abuse." Utilizing cross-sectional data collected from outpatient HIV care settings, this study is the first to examine the role of abuse self-definition in HIV-positive gay and bisexual men. The sample (N = 166) was divided into participants who self-defined their experiences as abuse and those who did not. Logistic regression was used to assess the impact of various factors (demographic, mental health, behavioral, and HIV health status) on the likelihood of self-defining child sexual abuse, child physical abuse, and partner abuse. Relationship to the perpetrator and characteristics of child sexual abuse experiences were explored as predictors of self-definition. Self-definition rates varied, with approximately 55% of child abuse victims and 24 to 31% of partner abuse victims labeling it as such. Participants who endorsed child sexual abuse experiences that involved force or coercion, and participants who reported a family member as the perpetrator, were more likely to define their experiences as abuse. These results suggest that screening for abuse history in clinical and research contexts should consistently utilize behaviorally anchored questions to minimize the likelihood of false negative reports. Further research is needed to better understand the process of labeling and the mechanisms underlying the labeling outcome relations.