Citation

Easton SD. Child Abuse Negl. 2019; 99: e104287.

Affiliation

Health and Mental Health Department, Boston College School of Social Work, United States. Electronic address: scott.easton@bc.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104287

PMID

31765850

Abstract

Over the past few decades, disclosure has emerged as a vital component of prevention, intervention, and treatment services designed to contain the harmful effects of child sexual abuse (CSA) and other forms of sexual violence and exploitation. A growing body of empirical work has improved our understanding of barriers to disclosure that survivors face (Alaggia, Collin-Vézina, & Lateef, 2019). Disclosure often serves as an antidote to the silence, secrecy, and seclusion upon which perpetrators rely. It may act as a therapeutic mechanism to help alleviate suffering, isolation, and helplessness that many survivors experience – in part, depending upon whether it is heard, recognized for what it is, and safely and sensitively responded to. When met with a helpful response, disclosure of CSA can potentially lead to abuse cessation and initiation of support services for the survivor, along with other outcomes (e.g., investigation, prosecution, prevention of future abuse). There is growing empirical evidence that disclosure may bolster survivors’ mental health and dampen posttraumatic stress symptoms ...

Language: en