Aspects of social support and disclosure in the context of institutional abuse – Long-term impact on mental health

Background: The psychological sequelae of institutionalized abuse (IA) and its long-term conse-
quences has not been systematically documented with regard to post-disclosure social support.
Although reporting abuse is crucial, there is ongoing controversy about the benefits of disclo-
sure. This study examines the interaction of disclosure and subsequent social support in relation
to mental health. The times of disclosure, behaviour during disclosure to a commission as adults,
perceived social support, and the effect on mental health were examined.
Methods: Data were collected from adult survivors who experienced childhood IA within the
Catholic Church. Instruments measured perceived social support, reactions to disclosure, PTSD,
and further symptoms.
Results: High levels of perceived social support after early disclosure correlated with better men-
tal health and less emotionally reactive behaviour during disclosure of childhood IA. Highly
levels of perceived social support seem to play a crucial role in mental health, but this inference
may be weakened by a possible interference of a competence in seeking social support versus
other social influences.
Conclusion: Future research should thus disentangle perceived social support into the compe-
tence of seeking social support versus socially influenced factors to provide more clarity about
the positive association between perceived social support and mental health.