Objective: The present study explored the experience of public self-disclosure of sexual assault and its perceived effect on recovery from the survivor’s point of view. Method: A sample of 14 Israeli women (between the ages of 23 and 63) who had disclosed their sexual assault experience through various media channels were interviewed, and their accounts were subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: Public self-disclosure was found to be a multifaceted experience, and participants perceived it to affect their recovery in many ways. First, the participants’ motivation for disclosure was a desire to advocate for social change and to find meaning, thereby facilitating their own recovery. Second, the disclosure was seen as a healing experience because it helped the participants forge a resilient and activist identity, reframe the sexual assault narrative, and improve their interpersonal relationships. Last, public disclosure could also be a revictimizing experience because it undermined the participants’ sense of security and made victimization a central feature of their identity. Conclusion: This study suggests that the meaning ascribed to public self-disclosure and its perceived outcomes may be a context-dependent process, shaped by the goals, benefits, and risks of disclosure and weighed against the relevance, benefits, and risks of other options. The results of the research inform the guidance of survivors who are considering public self-disclosure of their sexual assault experience, to ensure they do so safely and beneficially.

The parents of prisoners have long drawn the attention of researchers, due to their role in the etiology of criminality as well as the importance of their support of their offspring during and after incarceration. However, although studies have shown that the parents of prisoners experience high levels of distress, burden, and social stigma, research into their experience is only now beginning to emerge. This metasynthesis examined the limited body of qualitative research on the experience of prisoners' parents, as an exploratory step toward advancing the understanding of their experience. Relevant terms were used to systematically search key databases. Ten small-scale studies, which varied in focus, location, and disciplinary orientation, met the inclusion criteria. The synthesis produced four core themes, reflecting findings regarding parents' (primarily mothers') experience of their offspring's incarceration: parenting from a distance; the burden of care; troubled parental identity; and social reaction. Furthermore, the findings suggested a number of possible mediating factors of this experience, such as parents' social capital and their cognitive appraisal of their offspring's criminality. These themes imply a possible experience of "imprisonment by association" among the parents of inmates and illuminate features that may be unique to them. Given the inherent limitations regarding generalizability of a metasynthesis and the heterogeneity of the experiences of the parents represented by the articles reviewed, the findings call for future large-scale quantitative studies to explore the challenges and therapeutic needs of parents of prisoners regarding the themes identified.

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Research has shown that male victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) are less likely than women to seek formal and informal help. Studies have identified internal barriers (e.g., shame) and external and structural barriers (e.g., limited availability of services), rooted in hegemonic masculinity norms, that explain this underutilization of help. There is also evidence of recent changes in the cultural understanding of masculinity, but these new insights have yet to be incorporated in theories of male IPV and related help-seeking. The purpose of the present study was to obtain a deeper understanding of the help-seeking decisions, barriers, and facilitators of formal and informal help-seeking among male IPV victims. In-depth interviews were conducted with a community sample of 17 Israeli men who self-identified as having been subjected to IPV. Thematic analysis revealed that help-seeking decisions were shaped by a lack of awareness of the need for help, expected outcomes of help-seeking, and actual help-seeking attempts, which together created both barriers and facilitators. Three barriers were identified; they were related to masculinity ideals, failure to recognize victimization, and family values. In addition, three facilitators of help-seeking were identified; they were related to recognizing victimization, access to online social networks, and the fatherhood role. The findings indicate that the barriers and facilitators were interrelated, reflecting the interlocking changing social constructs of masculinity, victimization, and family values. These research findings may contribute to the development of strategies to encourage help-seeking behaviors, such as gender-inclusive education and training of practitioners in IPV services. Public Significance StatementThe findings reveal the help-seeking process of male victims of female intimate partner violence, which is shaped by a lack of awareness of the need for help, expected outcomes of help-seeking, and actual help-seeking attempts. These findings highlight the need to identify and remove barriers to help-seeking based on the intersection of masculinity ideals, failure to recognize IPV, and family values.

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