Reactions to Sexual Abuse Disclosure and Adult Psychological and Romantic Outcomes

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with a host of negative outcomes in adulthood, including insecure attachment, psychological distress, and difficulties in romantic relationships. The disclosure process has the potential to exacerbate or ameliorate the effects of CSA, depending on how the disclosure is reacted to by others. This study used an online survey (n = 711) to draw on retrospective reports from adult CSA survivors regarding their disclosure experiences to understand their psychological and interpersonal functioning in terms of attachment security, psychological well-being, and experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV). Results indicated that the recalled emotional valence of disclosure reactions was significantly related to domain-specific attachment insecurity, depending on the nature of the relationship with the person to whom the disclosure was made. For example, for mothers as recipients, the more distressing the reaction, the higher the attachment anxiety (b = .24, p < .01) and avoidance (b = .51, p < .001). In most analyses, higher attachment insecurity was associated with greater psychological distress. The data also showed that feeling betrayed by the reaction was associated with greater attachment insecurity, regardless of attachment domain (i.e., mother, father, romantic partner, global), and greater psychological distress. Due to low base rate in the sample, no patterns emerged concerning IPV. The results indicate that disclosure-focused education and attachment-focused intervention are potentially fruitful areas for addressing the CSA disclosure process and its potential impacts on survivors. Keywords: child sexual abuse, betrayal trauma, disclosure, disclosure reactions, betrayal trauma theory, insecure attachment, attachment theory, well-being, intimate partner violence

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctorate Degree

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Thompson, Ashley Rebekah

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Payne, Pamela
• Marsh, Shawn

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Devereux, Paul
• Mortensen, Jennifer
• Weigel, Daniel
• Snider, Katie

• attachment theory
• betrayal trauma
• betrayal trauma theory
• child sexual abuse
• disclosure
• intimate partner violence

Language dc:language.iso

en_US, English

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://scholarwolf.unr.edu/handle/11714/11863

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarwolf.unr.edu:11714/11863