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Secondary Victimization of Sexual Minority Men Following Disclosure of Sexual Assault: “Victimizing Me All Over Again…”

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Abstract

The estimated prevalence of adult sexual assault among sexual minority men (SMM) is comparable to published estimates for women. Adult sexual assault is associated with low disclosure rates and poor physical and mental health in SMM. One potential negative consequence of disclosures is secondary victimization, whereby victims perceive disclosure recipients’ reactions as victim-blaming or discriminatory and, therefore, retraumatizing. The published literature on secondary victimization among SMM is limited to the reporting of hate crimes and has not been extended to adult sexual assault, despite its high prevalence among SMM. Here, we explored the adult sexual assault disclosure experiences of 18 SMM through qualitative interviews (M age = 42.4 years). We observed four themes: (1) secondary victimization behaviors by disclosure recipients; (2) the role of sexual orientation in disclosure experiences; (3) participants’ own emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses to secondary victimization; and (4) participants’ perceptions about how disclosure influenced their long-term recovery process from adult sexual assault. Secondary victimization behaviors included dismissal, blaming, and attributing sexual assault to alcohol use or sexual orientation. Disclosure recipients’ responses strongly influenced men’s future disclosures. Future mixed-methods research investigating the impact of secondary victimization on mental and physical health of SMM is warranted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuropsychology, Methodist Rehabilitation Center, 1350 E. Woodrow Wilson, Jackson, MS, 39216, USA

    Michelle A. Jackson

  2. Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Sarah E. Valentine

  3. South Central Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Centers (MIRECC), Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Eva N. Woodward

  4. Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Eva N. Woodward

  5. University of Massachusetts, Boston & The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA

    David W. Pantalone

Authors
  1. Michelle A. Jackson
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  2. Sarah E. Valentine
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  3. Eva N. Woodward
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  4. David W. Pantalone
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michelle A. Jackson.

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Conflict of Interest

Michelle A. Jackson declares that she has no conflict of interest. Sarah E. Valentine declares that she has no conflict of interest. Eva N. Woodward declares that she has no conflict of interest. David W. Pantalone declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Funding

This study was funded in part by Suffolk University and private funds.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Jackson, M.A., Valentine, S.E., Woodward, E.N. et al. Secondary Victimization of Sexual Minority Men Following Disclosure of Sexual Assault: “Victimizing Me All Over Again…”. Sex Res Soc Policy 14, 275–288 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-016-0249-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-016-0249-6

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