Health associations for male survivors of unwanted and non-consensual sex

Abstract

Literature has established that men with non-consensual sexual experiences exhibit a higher likelihood of engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors; however, previous research does not explore men with unwanted sexual experiences, nor their sexual and general health outcomes. Weighted data from the 2011–2017 National Survey of Family Growth included men aged 18–49 years who ever experienced oral, vaginal, or anal sex by partners of any gender ( N = 10,763). The Pearson χ2 test compared the sociodemographic of men with or without a history of unwanted or non-consensual sex. Logistic regressions were used to examine the association of this history to sexual health and general health outcomes, while controlling for age, race/ethnicity, and education level. Approximately 1 in 10 (10.3%) American men reported experiencing unwanted or non-consensual sex in their lifetime. Men with these experiences were more likely to rate their health as fair or poor (a OR = 1.5, 95% CI = [1.1, 2.0]) and have difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions due to a physical, mental, or emotional condition (a OR = 2.1, 95% CI = [1.7, 2.7]). Men with forced sex experiences reported higher odds of gonorrhea (a OR = 5.4; 95% CI = [3.0, 10.0]) or chlamydia diagnoses (a OR = 2.5; 95% CI = [1.5, 4.4]) in the past year, and a diagnosis of genital herpes (a OR = 2.7; 95% CI = [1.6, 4.6]), genital warts (a OR = 1.7; 95% CI = [1.0, 5.6]), and syphilis (a OR = 2.4; 95% CI = [1.0, 5.6]) in their lifetime than men who did not report these experiences. The association of sexually transmitted infections and general health outcomes to unwanted and non-consensual sex validates the demand for clinicians to integrate trauma-informed care into their practice with male patients.