Sexual victimization & health-related correlates among gay and bisexual men

A growing body of research suggests that rates of childhood and adult sexual victimization (SV) are higher among gay and bisexual men compared to heterosexual men, with SV rates among sexual minority men often similar to those found among heterosexual women. Although sexual victimization has been linked to a variety of health-related problems in the general population, less is known about the consequences of different forms of SV among gay and bisexual men. Studies indicate that childhood sexual abuse (CSA), for example, is associated with a variety of negative health outcomes (e.g., sexually transmitted infections, depression, suicidal ideation, substance abuse) among gay and bisexual men, but less is known about their health outcomes after experiencing adult sexual assault (ASA). The goal of this paper is to report rates of childhood and adult sexual victimization among a community sample of gay and bisexual-identified men (N = 652), and explore how men with differing sexual victimization histories compare on a number of health-related risk and protective factors. Findings suggest that gay and bisexual respondents with a history of ASA are at highest risk for behaviors that could negatively impact their health outcomes, such as illicit drug use; risky sexual behaviors, as evidenced by higher reports of lifetime STIs and sexual compulsivity; and exposure to gay-related stress. SV history was not associated with differences in some protective factors (e.g., social support), but CSA participants reported higher rates of coping compared to ASA and no SV groups.