NCJ Number
101827
Editor(s)
D J West
Date Published
1985
Length
189 pages
Annotation
This volume presents the results of two studies: one that focused on the sexual victimization of young girls by adults and one that gathered information from self-reported homosexual men about their confrontations with police and other problematic aspects of their lives.
Abstract
The study of young women received completed questionnaires from 223 of 452 women in a physician's list of patients and from 92 of 148 graduate students. Seventy-eight women were also interviewed. One hundred forty-four respondents reported some degree of sexual contact with an adult. The contacts ranged from verbal suggestions to intercourse. The study of homosexual men received 443 questionnaire responses. It also gathered interview data from 30 men who had been charged with at least one offense connected with homosexuality, 30 matched controls who had not been charged, and 40 other men. Both studies revealed varied attitudes toward sexual matters. They also suggested that problematic sexual behavior is often made more problematic by overreactions of people who have strong feelings of disapproval. Responses by the law enforcement community and other officials often also represent unhelpful or excessive reactions. Data tables, figures, appendix presenting study instrument, 90 references.