Consequences of childhood sexual abuse for health and well-being: gender similarities and
differences
Sammanfattning
Aims: Analyse gender similarities and differences in the consequences of childhood sexual
abuse for health and well-being. Methods: Comparative analysis of 28 in-depth interviews with 14
purposefully chosen participants, seven women and seven men, who had experienced childhood
sexual abuse; two interviews were conducted with each participant. Results: The participants
expressed a journey of deep and silent suffering which seems, for them, to be endless and almost
unbearable. All of them have suffered from complex health problems since childhood. A gender
difference was shown in the tendency of women to internalize their emotional pain while the men had
a tendency to externalize it. Conclusions: It is important for health professionals to be aware of the
symptoms and consequences of child sexual abuse in order to provide support, appropriate care and
treatment for the survivors. Finally, preventive and long lasting public health measures have to be
taken in order to prevent children from experiencing such serious trauma.