A Scoping Review of Preferences of Men Who Experienced Sexual Assault: Implications for Adaptation of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapies

About 1 in 10 men experiences sexual assault, resulting in various difficulties most frequently associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. However, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapies (TF-CBT) seem less effective for men who experienced sexual assault compared to women. Efficacy of TF...

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Main Authors: Lydia Gamache, Laurence Dubé, Geneviève Belleville
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-02-01
Series:American Journal of Men's Health
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883241260512
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author Lydia Gamache
Laurence Dubé
Geneviève Belleville
author_facet Lydia Gamache
Laurence Dubé
Geneviève Belleville
author_sort Lydia Gamache
collection DOAJ
description About 1 in 10 men experiences sexual assault, resulting in various difficulties most frequently associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. However, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapies (TF-CBT) seem less effective for men who experienced sexual assault compared to women. Efficacy of TF-CBT could be improved by adapting interventions according to the empirical data detailing men’s preferences regarding psychological services. This scoping review aimed to document preferences of men who experienced sexual assault regarding psychological services, and to explore barriers and motivators to help-seeking for this population. A systematic approach was used to gather literature describing preferences regarding psychological services, and barriers and motivators to help-seeking. Thirty-five peer-reviewed studies and two non-peer reviewed reports met inclusion criteria. Data from included articles were extracted using a systematic extraction grid. A thematic content analysis was conducted to synthesize and present the results from the 37 studies. The number of empirical studies on preferences regarding psychological services was limited as only five documented preferences, all related to the clinician’s characteristics (e.g., clinician’s gender) and the type of intervention (e.g., action-oriented). Most studies reviewed barriers to help-seeking. The barriers most frequently identified were adherence to masculine norms and to myths about male sexual assault. Injury or substance abuse following sexual assault often act as motivators to help-seeking for men. To adapt TF-CBT to men who experienced sexual assault, researchers and clinicians should accommodate and further study these men’s preferences, consider their motivators regarding help-seeking and alleviate barriers to help-seeking, notably by deconstructing masculine norms.
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spelling doaj-art-e9bdbff18741412892f27bb961fb8ba32025-02-11T08:04:13ZengSAGE PublishingAmerican Journal of Men's Health1557-98912025-02-011910.1177/15579883241260512A Scoping Review of Preferences of Men Who Experienced Sexual Assault: Implications for Adaptation of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral TherapiesLydia Gamache0Laurence Dubé1Geneviève Belleville2School of psychology, Université Laval, Québec City, Québec, CanadaSchool of psychology, Université Laval, Québec City, Québec, CanadaSchool of psychology, Université Laval, Québec City, Québec, CanadaAbout 1 in 10 men experiences sexual assault, resulting in various difficulties most frequently associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. However, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapies (TF-CBT) seem less effective for men who experienced sexual assault compared to women. Efficacy of TF-CBT could be improved by adapting interventions according to the empirical data detailing men’s preferences regarding psychological services. This scoping review aimed to document preferences of men who experienced sexual assault regarding psychological services, and to explore barriers and motivators to help-seeking for this population. A systematic approach was used to gather literature describing preferences regarding psychological services, and barriers and motivators to help-seeking. Thirty-five peer-reviewed studies and two non-peer reviewed reports met inclusion criteria. Data from included articles were extracted using a systematic extraction grid. A thematic content analysis was conducted to synthesize and present the results from the 37 studies. The number of empirical studies on preferences regarding psychological services was limited as only five documented preferences, all related to the clinician’s characteristics (e.g., clinician’s gender) and the type of intervention (e.g., action-oriented). Most studies reviewed barriers to help-seeking. The barriers most frequently identified were adherence to masculine norms and to myths about male sexual assault. Injury or substance abuse following sexual assault often act as motivators to help-seeking for men. To adapt TF-CBT to men who experienced sexual assault, researchers and clinicians should accommodate and further study these men’s preferences, consider their motivators regarding help-seeking and alleviate barriers to help-seeking, notably by deconstructing masculine norms.https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883241260512
spellingShingle Lydia Gamache
Laurence Dubé
Geneviève Belleville
A Scoping Review of Preferences of Men Who Experienced Sexual Assault: Implications for Adaptation of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapies
American Journal of Men's Health
title A Scoping Review of Preferences of Men Who Experienced Sexual Assault: Implications for Adaptation of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapies
title_full A Scoping Review of Preferences of Men Who Experienced Sexual Assault: Implications for Adaptation of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapies
title_fullStr A Scoping Review of Preferences of Men Who Experienced Sexual Assault: Implications for Adaptation of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapies
title_full_unstemmed A Scoping Review of Preferences of Men Who Experienced Sexual Assault: Implications for Adaptation of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapies
title_short A Scoping Review of Preferences of Men Who Experienced Sexual Assault: Implications for Adaptation of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapies
title_sort scoping review of preferences of men who experienced sexual assault implications for adaptation of trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapies
url https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883241260512
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