Between Healing and Revictimization: The Experience of Public Self-Disclosure of Sexual Assault and Its Perceived Effect on Recovery

Objective: The present study explored the experience of public self-disclosure of sexual assault and its perceived effect on recovery from the survivor's point of view. Method: A sample of 14 Israeli women (between the ages of 23 and 63) who had disclosed their sexual assault experience through various media channels were interviewed, and their accounts were subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: Public self-disclosure was found to be a multifaceted experience, and participants perceived it to affect their recovery in many ways. First, the participants' motivation for disclosure was a desire to advocate for social change and to find meaning, thereby facilitating their own recovery. Second, the disclosure was seen as a healing experience because it helped the participants forge a resilient and activist identity, reframe the sexual assault narrative, and improve their interpersonal relationships. Last, public disclosure could also be a revictimizing experience because it undermined the participants' sense of security and made victimization a central feature of their identity. Conclusion: This study suggests that the meaning ascribed to public self-disclosure and its perceived outcomes may be a context-dependent process, shaped by the goals, benefits, and risks of disclosure and weighed against the relevance, benefits, and risks of other options. The results of the research inform the guidance of survivors who are considering public self-disclosure of their sexual assault experience, to ensure they do so safely and beneficially.