Langvarig taushet om seksuelle overgrep. Prediktorer og korrelater hos voksne som opplevde seksuelle overgrep som barn
Sammanfattning
Background: Many survivors of childhood sexual abuse wait for a long time before they disclose the abuse to anyone. The aim of the present study was to identify factors related to delayed disclosure of sexual abuse.
Material and methods: The study is based on self-report data from 508 respondents to the survey Longitudinal Investigation of Sexual Abuse (LISA).
Results: The average number of years passed from first-time abuse to disclosing the abuse was 17,2 years. Disclosure latency was associated with the degree of other adverse childhood experiences, and predicted symptoms of mental health problems in adulthood. Age at first abusive incident was inversely associated with disclosure latency. Having had a known rather than a stranger perpetrator was also associated with longer disclosure latencies. Follow-up analyses revealed lower age at abuse onset and longer duration of the abuse when parents or women were among the perpetrators.
Interpretation: Our findings highlight the need for preventive efforts facilitating early detection of sexual abuse, and for adults taking the responsibility for detecting sexual abuse against children.