“A burden in your heart”: Lessons of disclosure from female preadolescent and adolescent survivors of sexual abuse

How parents respond strongly shapes what follows a child's disclosure; children interpret and react to adults' reactions, so disclosure is interactive.

“Parental reaction was found to be critical to the outcome when children disclosed, as Staller, and Nelson-Gardell (2005) noted that “disclosure is not a one-way process.Children receive, process, evaluate, and react to information based on how adults respond to them” (p.1423).”

Disclosure does not unfold in a straight line; it may emerge in fragments over a survivor's life, sometimes unintentionally and sometimes deliberately.

“Staller, and Nelson-Gardell (2005) added that since disclosure it not a linear process it often comes out in incomplete slices throughout a victim's life; sometimes by accident, other times purposefully.”

The literature identifies disclosure as a process involving multiple interacting influences rather than singular events that unfold linearly.

“The literature has identified disclosure as a 'process' thus clearly reflecting the complexity of the situation experienced by the victims, involving multiple levels of interacting influences rather than singular events that evolve in a linear fashion”

Feeling safe, believed, and emotionally comforted are critical to a positive disclosure experience.

“feeling safe was found to be critical when disclosing (Alaggia, 2004;Staller, & Nelson-Gardell, 2005), as well as being believed and comforted emotionally.”

The findings of Ungar et al. (2009a) lend support to studies that have identified similarly interactive models of disclosure.

“Findings lend support to studies that have identified similarly interactive models of disclosure such as those detailed by Alaggia (2004) and Staller and Nelson-Gardell (2005).”

In Staller and Nelson-Gardell (2005), the consequences phase was further subdivided into four aspects: gossiping and news networks, changing relationships, institutional responses and the afterlife of telling, and insider and outsider communities.

“The consequences phase was further subdivided into four aspects: (1) gossiping and news networks, (2) changing relationships, (3) institutional responses and the afterlife of telling, and (4) insider and outsider communities”

Staller and Nelson-Gardell (2005) provided a contextual examination of the entire disclosure process, closer to the point in time when the abuse and disclosure occurred.

“This study provided a contextual examination of the entire disclosure process, closer to the point in time when the abuse and disclosure occurred.”

In Staller and Nelson-Gardell (2005), findings are reported in three major domains: self-phase, confidant selection-reaction phase, and consequences phase.

“Findings are reported in three major domains: (1) self-phase: where children come to understand victimization internally; (2) confidant selection-reaction phase: where they select a time, place, and person to tell and then whether that person’s reaction was supportive or hostile; and (3) consequences phase: good and bad that continued to inform their ongoing strategies of telling.”

In Staller and Nelson-Gardell (2005), the actions and reactions of adults were significant and informed the girls' decisions.

“The actions and reactions of adults were significant and informed the girls’ decisions.”