Comparing Help-Seeking Behavior of Male and Female Survivors of Sexual Assault: A Content Analysis of a Hotline

This content analysis examines written documentation of telephone calls to a regional sexual assault hotline over a 5-year period. All male callers identified as primary victims were selected for analysis ( n = 58) and a corresponding sample of female primary victims ( n = 58) were randomly selected for comparison to better understand the help-seeking behavior of sexual assault survivors and inform services accordingly. A summative content analysis revealed significant contrasting themes between male and female victims, including females significantly receiving more referrals and males accessing the hotline to tell their experience of being sexually assaulted due to perceived limited support. Implications for training, practice, and future research are discussed.

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Stifled Voices: Barriers to Help-Seeking Behavior for South African Childhood Sexual Assault Survivors

Journal of Child Sexual Abuse ◽

10.1080/10538711003781269 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 255-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Kimberly Smith ◽

Thema Bryant-Davis ◽

Shaquita Tillman ◽

Alison Marks

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

South African ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Help Seeking Behavior ◽

Sexual Assault Survivors ◽

Seeking Behavior ◽

Assault Survivors

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Help-Seeking Behavior of Female Victims of Intimate Partner Violence in Ghana: The Role of Trust and Perceived Risk of Injury

Journal of Family Violence ◽

10.1007/s10896-018-9959-2 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 33 (5) ◽

pp. 341-353 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Eric Y. Tenkorang ◽

Adobea Y. Owusu ◽

Gubhinder Kundhi

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Perceived Risk ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Help Seeking Behavior ◽

Female Victims ◽

Risk Of Injury ◽

Seeking Behavior

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Help-Seeking Behavior in Victims of Elder Abuse: A Systematic Review

Trauma Violence & Abuse ◽

10.1177/1524838019860616 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 152483801986061 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Silvia Fraga Dominguez ◽

Jennifer E. Storey ◽

Emily Glorney

Keyword(s):

Help Seeking ◽

Elder Abuse ◽

Future Research ◽

Narrative Synthesis ◽

Help Seeking Behavior ◽

Inclusion Criteria ◽

Research Gaps ◽

Service Engagement ◽

Seeking Behavior ◽

Comprehensive Search

Elder abuse has become increasingly relevant for intervention and study in the context of an aging population. One of the major barriers to progress in the field is underreporting of elder abuse by victims. This systematic literature review aimed to synthesize the available findings regarding victims’ help-seeking behavior to inform practice, understand the limits of the evidence, and identify research gaps. A comprehensive search of published and unpublished literature was undertaken, and studies were included if they addressed help-seeking behavior from the perspective of elder abuse victims aged 60 and older. A total of 19 studies met inclusion criteria for review. Findings are presented as a narrative synthesis organized according to help-seeking barriers, facilitators, sources of help, the responses of others, and the characteristics of victims more likely to seek help. Although barriers and sources of help received detailed attention across all studies, findings regarding victim characteristics and facilitators for and responses to help-seeking were limited. The results suggest that there are many barriers to help-seeking and that some victims only seek help when the abuse is perceived as unbearable or they fear for their safety. Results are discussed in relation to implications for intervention, including suggestions to enhance help-seeking behavior. Future research should identify facilitators of help-seeking among victims of elder abuse and victim characteristics associated with early disclosure. Research efforts should frame help-seeking as a continuing process and study ways in which the responses of others may impact future help-seeking or service engagement.

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Reactions to a Survey among Those Who were and were Not Sexually Assaulted while Serving in the Military

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/02.03.16.21.pr0.110.2.461-468 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 110 (2) ◽

pp. 461-468 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Alicia A. Sandberg ◽

Maureen Murdoch ◽

Melissa A. Polusny ◽

Joe Grill

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Active Duty ◽

Future Research ◽

Sexual Assaults ◽

Present Sample ◽

Sexual Assault Survivors ◽

Female Survivors ◽

Military Sexual Assault ◽

History Of ◽

The Military

Surveys are among the most common methods for evaluating military sexual assault experiences among members of the U.S. military; however, little research has examined how receiving surveys about such sexual assaults might affect recipients. In the present sample of 530 active duty and veteran military personnel, just 10% reported unexpected upset, 11% reported regretting participation in the survey, and 22% reported benefitting from that participation overall. A minority of respondents with a history of sexual assault while in the military reported unexpected upset, although the prevalence was three times higher than that of participants without such history (24% vs 8%). There were no statistically significant differences in perceived regret and benefit of participation in the survey between those with and without a history of sexual assault while in the military. Although limited in number, male military sexual assault survivors ( n = 8) were significantly more likely than female survivors to report being more upset by the survey than they had anticipated. Implications for future research are discussed.

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