This study evaluated the effectiveness of an individual treatment program for five adult males who experienced childhood sexual abuse. A treatment manual focusing on abuse-related self-blame, anger, and anxiety was developed. Daily self-blame, anger, and anxiety self-ratings were completed before and throughout treatment. A multiple-baseline approach was used to evaluate treatment effects. Overall findings indicated that most participants experienced significant reductions in self-blame, anger, and anxiety as a result of their involvement in the sexual abuse treatment program. Treatment was particularly helpful in decreasing feelings of self-blame and anger. The study made an important initial contribution to the development of systematic treatment outcome research for a population of individuals that has received relatively little attention. The results have implications for future clinical and research efforts with sexually abused adult males.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The study was supported in part by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. We are grateful to Drs Michael R. Thomas, Paul Madak, and Linda Rhodes for their feedback on earlier versions of the manuscript.
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Romano, E., De Luca, R.V. Evaluation of a Treatment Program for Sexually Abused Adult Males. J Fam Viol 21, 75–88 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-005-9006-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-005-9006-y