Disclosure, Reactions, and Social Support: Findings from a Sample of Adult Victims of Child Sexual Abuse

Abstract

Information about abuse characteristics, disclosure, and current social support was collected through semistructured interviews and questionnaires from 122 adult women reporting exposure to child sexual abuse by someone close. Women who used an active disclosure strategy in childhood reported more physical and violent abuse. Moreover, women who reported more severe abuse had more often received negative reactions from the social network. Furthermore, a relation was found between current social support and positive—but not negative—reactions.