He effectively hid his symptoms so that parents and teachers were unaware of his plight. He believed, as most such children do, that there was no one with whom he could share his burden. This compounded a series of defense mechanisms, which ultimately made his problems much worse, and later resulted in severe marital and job problems. The book traces the effects of the abuse with separate chapters on the child, adolescent, marriage, work, and relationship with God. There are lists of symptoms, which would be particularly useful to those not trained in this area, and Hegstrom includes a program for healing.