Reuters Health, July 13, 2006

New research suggests that men who are sexually abused in childhood  struggle in their  relations with their doctor or other health care providers, and many of these healthcare providers do not realize it.

With both male and female victims of childhood sexual abuse have similar anxieties and fears about seeing a doctor, “it’s doubly difficult  for males to come forward after they’ve been sexually abused, because many men have difficulty identifying and expressing their feelings,”  Gerri Lasuik, a PhD student in the University of Albert Faculty of Nursing said in a university statement.

“Given the pervasive stereotype of men as strong, in control, and always able to defend themselves, even health professionals have a time recognizing men as victims, especially if their abuser was a woman,”  said Lasiuk, who co- authored a paper on the topic in the Journal of Issues in Mental Health Nursing.

Based on interviews with 46 male childhood sexual abuse vitims, Lasuik and associates found that a variety of health care providers including nurses, physical therapists, physicians, dentists, chiropractors, and massage therapists , often displayed insensitive behavior.

For example, “many male survivors felt healthcare providers are more skeptical toward male claims of abuse than they are of similar female claims,”  Lasuik siad.  ” When the abuser was a woman, there was an attitude of  “So what? Isn’t that every boy’s fantasy?”  Lasiuk added.  A boy who is sexually abused may become confused about his sexual identity as he matures.  He may not tell anyone about the abuse for fear of being labeled homosexual, although recent  high profile disclosures of child sexual abuse may make it easier for male survivors to come forward, Lasiuk said.

Male childhood sexual abuse victims often worrry that they too will become abusers themselves.  “The research is clear that only a small percentage of survivors often turn put to be abusers,” according to Lasuik  It is estimated the 5 to 10 percent of men and 20 percent of women suffered sexual abuse in childhood.

We encourage all survivors male and female to talk to their healthcare providers about their fears and anxieties as victims of childhood sexual abuse.