NCJ Number
164959
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: (1996) Pages: 1-16
Date Published
1996
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article reports the results of a qualitative study that addressed the effects of women's childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on male partners and the couple's relationship.
Abstract
Men who were attending therapy groups for partners of CSA survivors were asked to voluntarily participate in the study; six men were subsequently included in the sample. They ranged in age from 38 to 49 years. Two of the men had been with their partners for 4 and 6 years, respectively. The range of time that the women's sexual abuse had been an active issue in five of these relationships was 2 to 6 years; one couple had been actively dealing with sexual abuse issues for 15 years. Six questions, prepared to structure and guide individual interviews with the participants, were included in the information initially distributed to participants. These questions focused on the effects of the abuse on the men and their relationship, how the men affected the ways in which the women had dealt with their abuse and the effects of the women's therapy on the men and the marriages from the men's perspectives. Data collection began with individual interviews but was modified to include a focus group discussion after one of the authors was invited to attend one of the men's regular group therapy sessions. Findings show that survivors' anger, sexual difficulties, engagement in physical intimacy, and even signs of healing created uncertainty and unpredictability for male partners. Partners expressed concerns about individually focused survivors' therapy, which can create additional strains in already burdened relationships. Suggestions are presented for a more systemic approach that would also address partners' needs. 24 references