“It’s in Our Nature as Daughters to Protect Our Familias… You Know?”:The Privacy Rules of Concealing and Revealing Latina Child Sexual Abuse Experiences

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study uses communication privacy management theory to offer an examination of the rule criteria that Latina survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) utilize to manage disclosure and privacy. Seven Latina women told their stories of CSA through the Indigenous methodology of testimonio. Their stories grant insight into the matrix of domination and underlying power structures within Latinx culture that impact their CSA disclosure. Latinas’ testimonios demonstrate the centering of the family when choosing to reveal and/or conceal their instances of CSA. Specifically, the study’s results indicate that in order to protect markers of identity and to avoid feeling familial shame, survivors choose to keep silent. Moreover, findings indicate that certain patriarchal principles encourage Latinas to uphold particular gender roles such as docility and purity which also impacts disclosure.