The acronym MAPLESS sums up the effect of child sexual abuse on boys. MAPLESS is not gender specific and can work across all genders for those of us who were sexually abused as children. After all, we are without a map until we are able to make sense of what happened to us.
Mental health issues - PTSD, Depression, Substance Abuse
Anger and its associative destructive behaviours
Physical health issues
Less self-worth than all others, because of the childhood sexual abuse
Estrangement from others, because of massive trust issues
Shame heaped on us by our perpetrators
Sexual identity and intimacy issues