The maxim that ‘time heals all wounds’ may not apply to men who have traumatic sexual abuse histories. Researchers from the University of Bath acknowledge that sexual assault is associated with increased rate of attempted suicide in men.

Sydney, Australia: The maxim that ‘time heals all wounds’ may not apply to men who have traumatic sexual abuse histories. Researchers from the University of Bath acknowledge that sexual assault is associated with increased rate of attempted suicide in men.

The study focused on Australian men who were sexually abused as children. Dr Patrick O’Leary and Professor Nick Gould, from the University’s Department of Social and Policy Sciences, conducted a series of surveys. The findings show an association between early sexual abuse and later suicidal tendencies. Men abused in early childhood are ten times more likely to contemplate ending their lives.

Sexual abuse in men has always been over-shadowed by the focus being more prominent in women. Dr O’Leary said that, "Men are particularly vulnerable to suicide and are three and a half times more likely than women to end their own lives, with more than 2,000 men dying as a result of suicide in the UK each year. However it is estimated that for every suicide, there are between 20 and 25 failed attempts.”

The effects of childhood sexual abuse spread widely through ones biology, psychology and inter personal domains. While major depressions, substance abuse or dependence, panic attacks are all odds related to suicidal tilts, sexual abuse remains significantly associated to suicide behavior.

Dr O’Leary stressed that "Men are particularly vulnerable because they don't like to talk to others about their problems. It's difficult for anyone to come to terms with traumatic experiences such as childhood sexual abuse, but for men the stigma is worse because they don't tend to confide in their friends as much.”

Men seek refuge in alcohol or substance abuse or even become loners. Sometimes they may turn to crime. They avoid therapy, become aloof and are often racked with feelings of failure. Dr O’Leary pointed that, “Men also tend to visit their doctors less frequently, so those who are at risk of suicide often slip under the radar of the healthcare system.”

Having carried out a study in Australia, the researchers plan to conduct a similar study in UK. Dr O’Leary concluded that a need to identify all mediating factors is required to save the lives of men sexually abused. “Greater awareness in the healthcare and criminal justice systems will help identify those who are at risk and give them treatment before it is too late.”

The study was funded by the University of South Australia and is published in The British Journal of Social Work.

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I do not find that surprising. I have known three people who committed suicide. Two were certainly victims of abuse. The last one I believe was, but he never mentioned anything. The role sexual abuse and physical abuse plays into the enormously high rate of male suicide probably will never be fully known. As the article mentions, male victims rarely come forward and rarely ask for help. They tend to keep it to themselves and often as the problems get worse, they simply fall further and further into depression. I suppose my uncle was particularly good at that because we had no idea that he wanted to kill himself. When it happened, it came out of nowhere.

I do not agree with O’Leary that the problem is that men do not confide in their friends. While having some support is helpful, I think the larger problem is that society expects men to deal with it on their own. Men who look weak are harassed and mocked, so they have little reason to come forward. I also think that the opposite push for greater sensitivity causes the same problem. When a person does not view himself as a victim, even if he is experiencing all these problems as a result of what happened, pushing the notion that he must become more sensitive is just another way of challenging his masculinity. Men generally want to be men and want to be recognized as men, so anything that strips him of that is just as threatening and harmful, perhaps even more so, as the overbearing expectation for him to “suck it up.”

While one could certainly say that men need to forward, I think it would be helpful if more people reached out to men to let them know that they could.  If men knew they did not have to suffer alone and knew they would not be judged for seeking help or their sense of masculinity challenged for seeking help (which includes attempts to “deconstruct” their masculinity), more men would come forward. From my experience, it seems that once these services are offered, the men and boys who need them eventually appear. It does not happen overnight, but once they become aware of the services, many men and boys will use them.

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