Warm family of origin is associated with earlier disclosure of sexual abuse

Abstract

Background: Worldwide, about one in five female minors and one in 8–12 male minors experience sexual abuse. However, for various reasons disclosure of these traumatic sexual experiences often does not occur, which may be associated with increased levels of distress. Objective: To examine the extent to which factors in the family of origin are associated with the duration until disclosure of sexual abuse, the environment in which this abuse happens, and the extent to which these family and disclosure characteristics are associated with current psychological distress. Method: Adults with sexual abuse experience(s) before the age of 18 (N = 961) completed an online questionnaire on characteristics of the family of origin (e.g. family climate, religious beliefs, communication about sexuality, adverse childhood experiences), characteristics of (potential) disclosure (e.g. duration and environment to whom the abuse was revealed first) and current levels of psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress 10; K10). Results: Logistic and linear regression analyses showed that (a) a warm family climate was associated with shorter duration to disclosure, (b) strong religious beliefs in the family of origin were associated with longer duration to disclosure, (c) a warm family climate was associated with disclosing to someone close, and (d) a warm family climate, <4 adverse childhood experiences, more open communication about sexuality and a shorter duration to disclosure were all associated with lower levels of current psychological distress. Conclusion: The findings show that family characteristics are associated with early disclosure of sexual abuse. In turn, these family characteristics and the time of disclosure are associated with lower levels of current psychological distress. Future research may further investigate the nature of this association, so that guidance on how a safe home environment can help children disclose adverse experiences, such as child sexual abuse, can be developed and promoted.