The risk of Telling: A Dyadic Perspective on Romantic Partners’ Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure and Their Associations with Sexual and Relationship Satisfaction

Abstract

Among 70 community couples who reported childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and disclosure to their partner, this study examined associations between survivors' perception of partner responses to their disclosure, and both partners' sexual and relationship satisfaction. Participants completed self-report questionnaires online. Results of path analyses within an actor-partner interdependence model indicated that survivors' perceived partner responses of emotional support to disclosure were associated with their own and their partners' higher sexual satisfaction. Survivors' perceived responses of being stigmatized/treated differently by the partner were associated with their own and their partners' poorer relationship satisfaction. Findings suggest that survivor-perceived partner responses to the disclosure of CSA can have a positive and a negative impact on the sexual and relationship satisfaction of both partners.

Past is present: Pathways between childhood sexual abuse and relationship satisfaction

“…CSA survivors may, for example, be reluctant to disclose their abuse history to their partner. De Montigny Gauthier et al (2019) reported that relationship satisfaction was influenced by both positive and negative responses to the disclosure.…”

Perceptions of romantic partners' responses to disclosures of suicidality

“…Seeking help or support from the romantic partner was the predominant rationale for disclosing, though the suicidality also emerged through less intentional methods for some participants (Authors, 2021). Perceptions of partner responses to disclosures of other stigmatized identities, such as sexual abuse (de Montigny Gauthier et al, 2019; MacIntosh et al, 2016), have been explored in previous studies, as have the partner's experiences following disclosure of mental illness (Shpigelman et al, 2019).…”

Communicating a History of Sexual Trauma: Partner Responses to Women's Disclosure

“…With amplified public recognition of sexual misconduct due to social movements (e.g., #MeToo, TIME'S UP) and mass media campaigns (e.g., It's On Us, No More), disclosures of sexual trauma have surfaced publicly and interpersonally. Scant work has focused on the experiences of adult survivors navigating disclosures with intimate partners (e.g., de Montigny Gauthier et al, 2019). Given that sexual experiences are perceived as a taboo topic (Rankin & Bustle, 2008), it is crucial to gain a clearer understanding as to how partners respond to disclosures of sexual trauma.…”