Motivators of sexual violence disclosures and gender

• In Event: Victimology Working Group Panel 3 Consequences of Victimization

Abstract

Disclosure of sexual violence victimization is important to mobilize resources for survivors of sexual violence. Survivors report multiple barriers to disclosure, but less is known about factors that motivate survivors to tell others about their experience. The decision to disclose may also vary by gender, as men and women face different levels of stigma around sexual violence. The purpose of this study was to examine what factors survivors of sexual violence identify as disclosure motivators, in their own words. We conducted a telephone survey among a nationally representative sample of the Icelandic population (N = 1766). Participants who reported sexual victimization (22.6%) were asked whether they had disclosed that experience to anyone, and what motivated it, with an open-ended question. A qualitative analysis identified seven facilitator themes, some of which were strongly related to the social context and broad social movements around sexual violence (“social connections,” “survivor solidarity,” and “socio-cultural change.”) Other themes reflected recovery from sexual violence (“shock and suffering” and “hope for healing”), but other disclosure facilitators were more related to the violence itself (“stop the violence” and “could not hide it.”). For the most part, themes were similar for men and women, although “survivor solidarity” was more common for women, and “shock and suffering” among men, though these differences were marginally significant (p = 0.078 and p = 0.069, respectively). The results show that diverse factors motivate disclosures and that these may be impacted by general societal discussions of sexual violence.

Authors

• Karen Birna Þorvaldsdóttir, Reykjavik University

• Rannveig Sigurvinsdottir, Reykjavik University

• Erla Katrín Jónsdóttir, Reykjavik University

• Bryndís Björk Ásgeirsdóttir, Reykjavik University