Male Victims of Adult Sexual Assault

Abstract

This descriptive study aims to provide new information about the services used by sexually assaulted men and adolescent boys presenting to specialized hospital-based sexual assault programs and further insight into the factors that may be associated with their victimization. Information was collected from 38 male clients aged 12+ presenting to 29 sexual assault treatment centers in Ontario, Canada over 12 months. Variables were examined across 6 domains: time to presentation, client sociodemographics, assailant characteristics, assault characteristics, physical health consequences, and service delivery and utilization. A substantial minority of participants reported vulnerabilities such as young age; being Aboriginal; being transgendered, unemployed and/or on disability; working in the sex trade; and living on the streets, in a rehabilitative center, or in a correctional facility. Almost one-third identified or were documented as having a disability and, for most of these victims, it was either psychiatric in nature or developmental delay. All participants accepted at least one service offered; 86% used five or more services, most commonly those related to health care on-site such as crisis counseling, treatment of injuries, and referral for follow-up care for supportive counseling, injury redocumentation, and testing for sexually transmitted infections. These findings reveal that male clients' uptake of specialized sexual assault services is significant and it is, therefore, important to provide access to a comprehensive range of psychological, medical, and forensic treatment options and referrals to other community services for ongoing support. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Male Victims at a Dutch Sexual Assault Center: A Comparison to Female Victims inCharacteristics and Service Use

“…Most victims had experienced rape. Whereas previous research found that one in three male victims who referred to SACs had suffered injury that required treatment (Du Mont et al, 2013;Kimerling et al, 2002;Larsen & Hilden, 2016;Riggs et al, 2000), our study found injuries in only one in seven male victims. This discrepancy may be caused by the fact that in the Netherlands, full body examinations to check for injuries are only standardized for minors, whereas adults must disclose any injuries themselves, while other countries have standardized full body examinations for all ages.…”

“…Research at Canadian (Du Mont et al, 2013), Danish (Larsen & Hilden, 2016), and American SACs (Kimerling et al, 2002;Riggs et al, 2000) has consistently found the need for treatment of genital or rectal injuries in one third of male victims. About half of male victims seeking help at SACs receive forensic medical examination (FME) to collect evidence to potentially use in court (Du Mont et al, 2013;McLean et al, 2005) and about half of male victims at SACs report the assault to the police (Kimerling et al, 2002;Larsen & Hilden, 2016). The use of psychological care by men has rarely been studied and findings are mixed: A SAC in Canada reported that 76% of men sought counselling (Du Mont et al, 2013;n=38), in contrast to 48% in the United Kingdom (McLean et al, 2005;n = 376).…”

“…About half of male victims seeking help at SACs receive forensic medical examination (FME) to collect evidence to potentially use in court (Du Mont et al, 2013;McLean et al, 2005) and about half of male victims at SACs report the assault to the police (Kimerling et al, 2002;Larsen & Hilden, 2016). The use of psychological care by men has rarely been studied and findings are mixed: A SAC in Canada reported that 76% of men sought counselling (Du Mont et al, 2013;n=38), in contrast to 48% in the United Kingdom (McLean et al, 2005;n = 376). Although this difference may be explained by the difference in sample size, these contrasting findings underline the importance of further research.…”

Gender-specific Research on Mental Illness in the Emergency Department: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

“…90,91 Males who present in the ED for sexual assault often have more severe injuries than women, 91,92 yet are less likely to report the assault, and less likely to use mental health services when they are offered. 90 …”

Barriers to and Facilitators of Help-Seeking Behavior Among Men Who Experience Sexual Violence

“…In a survey of 684 intimate partner violence and sexual violence agencies, 94% of responders said that they did not provide services tailored to sexual and gender minority communities ( NCAVP, 2010 ). A more recent study reported that when men seek services related to sexual violence from a health-care facility, they most often accept crisis counseling related to psychological and physical distress; medical care and treatment; prophylactic treatment for STIs and HIV (i.e., post-exposure prophylaxis or PEP, a course of treatment with antiretroviral medication, which if taken within 72 hr of exposure and completed, prevents acquisition of HIV); and counseling and testing for HIV ( Du Mont, Macdonald, White, & Turner, 2013 ).…”