Masculinity and Male Child Sexual Abuse

What is it about?

Although there is a growing amount of research on the impact of male child sexual abuse (CSA), there is very little research on how parents respond to this abuse. This study shows how male same-sex abuse can increase the likelihood of parents encouraging stereotypical, antisocial behavior in their sons due to fears of homosexuality. For the black and Puerto Rican parents, CSA can heighten racial anxieties that increase their investment in traditional masculinity.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Little is known about parents of sexually abused boys in general, and even less about parents of color. This work attends to these limitations through multiple, intensive interviews with parents of sexually abused sons over several years, using the data to show how parents interpret their child’s sexual stigma and how that stigma leads to the reaffirmation of stereotypical masculinity. Last, my findings support other trauma research that suggests conservatism is a common consequence of tragedy.