Male Victim of Sexual Assault - Patterns of Occurrence, Trauma Reactions and Adaptive Responses

• NCJ Number: 77037
• Author(s): D J Cotton
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 398 pages
• Grant Number(s): 80-IJ-CX-0008
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Wright Institute Graduate School-Clinical Psychology - doctoral dissertation

Annotation

This study examines the occurrence and impact of sexual assault on noninstitutionalized adult males; the study's theoretical perspective is grounded in the psychology of victimization and trauma.

Abstract

Patterns of victimization occurrence and impact are described in a literature review for six topics related to the sexual assault of males: victimology, sexual assault of women, sexual abuse of children, the male sexual assault victim, sexual assault in correctional institutions, and the psychology of trauma. Interviews were conducted with crime victims to ascertain differences in the effects of sexual and physical assault and difference between female and male victims, and to identify the particular trauma issues for male victims. Thirty-seven male and female victims of recent (3 to 18 months) physical and sexual assaults were interviewed. The interview protocol focused on victim characteristics related to the victimization, assault characteristics, and impact in terms of trauma reactions and adaptive responses. Self-report checklists were also administered to assess current measures of stress. The results indicate that all victims showed high levels of stress. The highest stress levels were reported by subjects in the 6- to 12-month period, suggesting a longer and more intense recovery process than the literature indicates. Physical and sexual assault victims had similar patterns of traumatization, although sexual assault victims showed somewhat more stress and more intrapsychic disruption. Isolation from primary support relationships was a factor common to most victims and was the factor most often associated with impaired recovery. This finding has implications for prevention and treatment programs. The male sexual assault victims were found to have higher degrees of stress. While some male sexual assault victims made suicidal attempts, in general their recovery pattern showed more progress than that of women. The study concludes that a general stress response paradigm is appropriate for traumatization resulting from both physical and sexual assault; such a paradigm can be useful in describing differences in victimization. The research interview protocol is appended. An extensive bibliography of approximately 160 references and 14 tables are provided. (Author abstract modified)