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Alexandra Frederick, Psy.D., is a 2025 graduate of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, New England

Dissertation Committee:

  • Karen Meteyer, PhD, Chairperson
  • Rachel Chickerella, PhD, MS, LPC, Committee Member
  • Rosalyn DeVincentis, PsyD, Committee Member

Keywords

clergy-perpetrated sexual abuse, disclosure, collective case study, qualitative study

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2025

Abstract

The current study offers a case study utilizing records from assessments conducted for civil suits by men who survived clergy perpetrated sexual abuse (CPSA) in their childhoods. The focus of this study is to contribute to our understanding of the disclosure process following the abuse. A qualitative analysis was conducted to highlight common themes, including experiences of disclosure, emotional experiences, the decision-making process, and potential feelings of regret toward disclosure. Research questions examined the time and age of disclosure, how close the survivor was to the priest at the time of the abuse and any trends that exist between that and the disclosure, the reasons for delaying disclosure, who survivors disclosed to and their journey of disclosure over their lives, and positive and negative outcomes associated with disclosing the abuse. Results from this study reflected significant delays in disclosure with these individuals due to fear of not being believed, shame, embarrassment, and loss of trust in others. This study provides insight into why individuals often delay disclosure of abuse until later in life, as well as providing knowledge for clinicians working with survivors of CPSA (Easton et al., 2014). This information is particularly relevant when individuals choose to file a civil suit against the church for damages, and the trajectory of disclosure is put under a microscope. By providing more information on the typical process of disclosure, we can further understand why people do not always speak of the abuse immediately after it occurred. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

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ORCID No.: 0009-0002-8081-7610

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