Sexual Identity Issues for Male Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Qualitative Study

This study explored the impact of sexual abuse on male sexual identity, utilizing qualitative methodology in interviews with 10 sexually abused men. The findings suggest that male survivors struggle with the disparity between sexual victimization and societal stereotypes of masculinity. The greatest difficulty was with social sex role identity; however, male abuse survivors also question their gender identity. While participants had no sexual orientation identity problems, they tended to find sexual contact threatening. Implications for clinical practice are suggested.