Effects of Rape on Men: A Descriptive Analysis

Abstract

Previous studies of the effects of rape on men have focused mainly on clinical populations. This study extended current research by investigating the effects of rape on a non-clinical sample of men recruited from the general population by media advertising. A total of 40 male rape victims were asked to provide details of their assaults, levels of psychological disturbance, long-term effects, and reporting issues. Results revealed that most assaults had been carried out using physical or violent force, in a variety of different circumstances. All of the victims reported some form of psychological disturbance as a result of being raped. Long-term effects included anxiety, depression, increased feelings of anger and vulnerability, loss of self-image, emotional distancing, self-blame, and self-harming behaviors. Findings are discussed in relation to previous research in the area and perceptions of rape.

Help-Seeking Behaviors of Men Sexual Assault Survivors

“…On the other hand, some studies suggest that men tend to deny the impact of sexual abuse on their lives in order to cope. Furthermore, men rape victims assume they will experience negative treatment, be disbelieved, or be blamed for their assault, all of which pose barriers to seeking help for their assault (Walker et al, 2005). This study also showed that childhood rape victims were less likely to seek professional help.…”

“…This study identified that factors associated with an increased likelihood of professional help seeking include being threatened during the incident, physical injury as a result of the incident, and sexual assault perpetrated by family or friend. A study conducted by Walker et al (2005) suggested that men might be more likely to report a rape to medical services only if they are severely physically assaulted. Men victims perpetrated by family or friends were more likely to seek professional help.…”

“…King and Woollett (1997) studied 115 British men who had been seen at least once at a volunteer organization serving men victims of sexual assault and identified that 77% of the men did not seek any help immediately after the assault. Other studies have reported that even when men do seek medical treatment after an assault, they often do not disclose the sexual nature of the assault and rarely do they report the assault to the police (Isely & Gehrenbeck-Shim, 1997;Kaufman et al, 1980;Walker et al, 2005). Research suggest that a substantial proportion of men, 58% in one study (Walker et al, 2005), will eventually seek some type of psychological treatment, such as counseling or psychiatric care.…”

“…With respect to the long-term sequelae, the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study identified that men reporting childhood sexual abuse were significantly more likely to report alcohol problems, use of illicit drugs, and current family and marital problems (Dube et al, 2005). Both childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual assault have been associated with a history of suicide attempts (Dube et al, 2005;Tiet, Finney, & Moos, 2006;Walker, Archer, & Davies, 2005). Elliott and colleagues reported that despite an average of 14 years' having passed since the sexual assault, both men and women reporting a history of adult sexual assault were more symptomatic than were nonassaulted cohorts on all scales of the Trauma Symptoms Inventory (Elliott et al, 2004).…”

A qualitative examination of engagement with support services by victims of violent crime

“…This may be particularly relevant for victims of crimes which are known to elicit high levels of victim-blame (e.g., sexual assault against heterosexual and LGBT victims, domestic violence) (e.g., Davies and Rogers, 2006;Davies and Hudson, 2011). Victim concerns about, and experiences of, perceived judgements or blame by others can lead to the experience of secondary victimisation which can further reinforce associated trauma symptomology (e.g., Walker, Archer and Davies, 2005;Lowe et al, 2015). This represents an additional barrier to engagement with support services as victims may be anxious about how they might be perceived or judged by practitioners (Lowe et al, 2015).…”