Males are less likely to report the abuse. Males are less likely to identify the abuse as abuse or as harmful to them. Males generally report experiencing the abuse more positively than females especially if perpetrated by a female. A male may question his sexual identity and sexual preference more frequently. Males are more likely to act out the sexual abuse aggressively, and report more frequently than females a desire to hurt others.
Males are more likely to view themselves and be viewed by others as responsible for the abuse.
Males are more likely than females to have sexual fantasies about children and desires to engage in sexual activities with a child. Males experience more general psychological, physical, and behavioral symptoms than females who tend to be more depressed. Males have been shown in studies be more vulnerable to physiological and psychological dysfunction than females in stressful situations such as family discord, bereavement, divorce, etc. A logical extension of this would support the hypothesis that they may be more effected by sexual abuse than females yet less likely to acknowledge the abuse or seek help.