Sexual assault victimization among male victims of partner violence

Research has established the risk of coexisting sexual assault (SA) victimization among female physical partner violence (PV) victims, but there is little research on this issue among male physical PV victims. We assessed SA victimization from female intimate partners in a sample of 581 male physical PV victims who sought help for their victimization (Mean Age = 44.21, SD = 9.37; 64.9% White). We also assessed their lifetime trauma history and current mental and physical health. 48.1% of the men reported SA victimization from their female PV perpetrators: 43.5% reported verbal coercion to engage in vaginal, oral, and/or anal (VOA) sex; 25.0% reported the use of threats and/or physical force to engage in VOA sex. Logistic regression showed that greater history of trauma exposure, partner's lower educational attainment, younger age of the participant, and being non-White independently predicted SA victimization. MANOVAs showed that in comparison to physical PV victims only, victims who also experienced SA had significantly poorer physical health, more PTSD symptoms, and more depression symptoms. Chi-squares analyses showed that in comparison to physical PV victims only, victims who also experienced SA were significantly more likely to sustain a physical injury (79.9% v. 63.5%), a physical injury requiring medical attention (46.4% v. 31.6%), the clinical cut-off for PTSD (53.7% v. 35.9%), and the clinical cut-off for depression (78.3% v. 61.8%). Discussion focuses on the increased risks for male physical PV victims who also experience SA, and the necessity of assessing male PV victims for SA victimization as well.