Profile of Young Victims of Unwanted Sexual Experiences: a Gender Comparison Using a Swiss National Survey

Abstract

Purpose Youths are particularly at risk of experiencing sexual victimization but research tends to focus on the most violent forms (i.e. rape or child sexual abuse) and on female cases. This study aimed at identifying factors associated to different types of unwanted sexual experiences (USE) among young females and males as well as estimating probabilities of experiencing sexual victimization among gender.Methods Data were drawn from a cross-sectional survey on sexual health and behaviors using a nationally representative sample of youths aged 24-26 living in Switzerland. Respondents (N=5290) were divided in three categories of reported USE, ordered by conceptualized severity. The fourth group was constituted of those never having experienced any. Weighted bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed using demographic characteristics and risk behavior indicators.Results At the multivariate level, the higher the severity of USE the higher the number of associated factors, revealing the complexity of this issue. Females had a higher probability of experiencing sexual victimization than of never experiencing any, with a probability of two out of three. They faced higher probabilities of sexual victimization than males, although males' probability of USE were not as marginal as expected, further considering that they are found to face higher rates of non-disclosure than females. ConclusionWhen investigating sexual victimization, there is a need to consider the diverse forms of USE and adopt a gendered approach in order to better comprehend sexual victimization and effectively intervene on the social, legal and public health levels to prevent sexual victimization among youths.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Sexual Victimization: Findings from a National Representative Sample of Belgian Adults Aged 16–69

“…We further provide an analysis of associated factors. Our findings suggest that being female, young, non-heterosexual, having a higher number of sexual partners and financial difficulties are associated with an increased likelihood of sexual victimization which is in line with past research [9,20,[24][25][26]. The fact that the youngest age group in our study was most likely to be victimized in the past year is in line with past research that showed young adults and adolescents are especially at risk of sexual victimization [7,19].…”

“…The studies presented above show that women generally have a higher risk of sexual victimization than men. Moreover, previous research shows that this risk seems to be higher among young people [ 7 , 19 , 24 ] and non-heterosexual people [ 25 ]. Other factors related to sexuality that are associated with sexual victimization are, among others, early sexual initiation and more lifetime sexual partners [ 26 ].…”

Domestic Violence during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Portugal

“…Progressive scientific knowledge has shown that domestic violence is a gendered phenomenon, with differences in the magnitude, dynamics, and contexts underpinning domestic violence against women and against men [9]. Also, domestic violence is a quite transversal phenomenon across society, affecting all ages and any socioeconomic or cultural group, with complex and deeply entrenched underlying causes, and is often not officially reported [2,[11][12][13][14].…”

Characteristics of Young People Reporting a Low Sexual Desire in Switzerland

“…We assessed three types of undesired sexual experiences: having ever accepted sexual intercourse without really wanting (never, once, several times), unwanted sexual intercourse or contact (never, once, several times with the same/various persons) and sexual assault/abuse (yes/no). Having ever accepted sexual intercourse without really wanting may be categorized in the sexual compliance group (Auderset et al, 2021 ) (i.e. the act of consenting to unwanted sexual activity (Darden et al, 2019 )).…”