Proceedings of the Quebec Forum on the Consequences and Prevention of Sexual Abuse Against Men
The First Quebec Forum on the Consequences and Prevention of Sexual Abuse Against Men
Popieul, Jean-Thierry (2015). Perceptions des hommes abusés sexuellement dans l'enfance et l'adolescence sur leur parcours dans les services d'aide. Master’s Thesis. Montreal (Quebec, Canada), Université du Québec à Montréal, Master’s in Social Work.
The aim of this research is to explore the perceptions of men who were sexually abused in childhood and adolescence (MCSA) regarding their experiences with support services. More specifically, the study pursues the following objectives:
To explore how gender paradigms impact their help-seeking journeys;
To understand the sociocultural influence of myths and beliefs on their decision to seek help;
To highlight the strengths and limitations of the support service network in responding to the needs of MCSA.
Currently, few services specifically address the needs of men who have experienced sexual abuse during childhood or adolescence. Some studies suggest that existing services do not always know how to receive their requests for help or recognize their signs of distress.
This qualitative and exploratory study examines the help-seeking experiences of men through the model proposed by Turcotte et al. (2002), which is based on the help-seeking process of Gross and McMullen (1983) and framed within an interactionist perspective. This approach is particularly useful in understanding the social dynamics that influence men's help-seeking behavior, especially in relation to support services. The model is further enriched by interpretive paradigms related to masculine identity, sex, and gender.
The research involved five semi-structured interviews and both horizontal and vertical thematic content analysis. The findings reveal, among other things, how a culture of denial and silence continues to surround the issue of sexual abuse against boys, and how this reality remains largely unrecognized by support services. In some cases, these services may even contribute to the silence by focusing more on symptoms than on the abuse itself.
The study also points to a general lack of awareness about the few specialized resources available to men who have experienced sexual abuse. These findings support several avenues for reflection in social work practice, particularly the need to raise awareness among service providers about the issue of sexual abuse in boys and men.
