Adult Men's Sexual Assault Victimization and Condom Use Resistance: A Preliminary Investigation

Sexual assault victimization is understudied among men, and is associated with several long-term, negative outcomes, including risky sexual behaviors. Condom use resistance (CUR) is one risky sexual behavior, which entails lasting consequences such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancies. Although previous research has broadly examined risky sexual behaviors among men who were victimized by adolescent/adult sexual assault (ASA), research specifically examining CUR use among men victimized by ASA is lacking. A total of 282 young, single, men who were recently sexually active with a woman were recruited from the United States and completed assessments of their age, previous sexual assault victimization, and use of CUR strategies. Almost half (n = 137; 48.6%) of the men were sexual assault victims, while the remainder (n = 145; 51.4%) were nonvictims. Quade non-parametric ANCOVAs compared victims' to nonvictims' use of CUR strategies. Results revealed that victims used more CUR overall, used more noncoercive CUR, and used more strategies related to risk-level reassurance, relationship and trust, reduced sensitivity, and direct request than nonvictims. However, there were no differences in participants' previous use of coercive CUR, or strategies related to seduction, withholding sex, or loss of arousal. These novel findings suggest an association between men's ASA victimization and CUR, similar to findings among women's ASA victimization and CUR. Future research should replicate these results in a larger, more diverse sample, to better inform intervention programs targeting men victimized by ASA, and emphasizing the importance of condom use during future sexual interactions.