When Did I Become a Victim? Exploring Narratives of Male Childhood Sexual Abuse

This report presents narrative data of adult men self-identifying as victims of sexual abuse occurring in childhood or adolescence (CSA). Preliminary data were derived from written public stories posted by men to the Internet (n = 90). Many of these accounts indicate same-sex sexual abuse (male victim, male perpetrator). The primary research question: "how have adult male victims of childhood sexual abuse constructed written narratives of victimization?" The men in this study who posted public narratives about their sexual abuse demonstrated evidence in of two (turmoil and taking control) of six life course themes uncovered by Draucker and Martsolf (2010). Two temporally related additional subthemes emerged within the category "taking control": during the abusive event/relationship and after abuse in adulthood. Understanding how male victims organize and make sense of the trajectory of their victim and/or survivor identity may contribute to a more integrated healing for victims. This could also shape programs for outreach and support. The result of the study would aid in the development of diagnostic tools and frameworks for interviewing abuse victims who are not publicly presenting or formally reporting their stories.