@article{ref1,
title=""The unheard voices": lived experiences of sexual abuse in male survivors",
journal="Indian journal of psychological medicine",
year="2022",
author="Das, Sarbopriya and Pramanik, Soma and Ray, Deepshikha and Banerjee, Debanjan",
volume="44",
number="5",
pages="474-478",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Victims of sexual abuse face unique emotional challenges. Among them, the male survivors of sexual assault have largely been neglected in the literature, being traditionally considered &quot;against the norm&quot; and symbolic of reduced masculinity. <br><br>METHODS: Qualitative approach was used to study the lived experiences of five (three heterosexual and two homosexual) male survivors of sexual abuse. In-depth interviews were conducted with consent, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). <br><br>RESULTS: Commonality in the experiences of abuse (the identity of the abuser, nature of agony), perspectives of sharing the abuse history (lack of acceptance of &quot;male&quot; victimhood, the openness of the opposite gender, family reactions), and the long-term impact of abuse (withdrawal/change of interest as coping, sexual identity issues) emerged as the main superordinate theme (and subthemes). <br><br>CONCLUSION: Society, with its patriarchy, often turns apathetic to male victimization in sexual abuse. Beliefs about masculinity and resultant trauma can cause a chronic social and psychosexual impact on the victims. More systematic research is needed to understand their perceptions, unmet needs, and experiences of recovery.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0253-7176",
doi="10.1177/0253717620972912",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0253717620972912"
}