Exercise and Eating Habits Among Men Exposed to Sexual Trauma: The Role of Self-Blame

Understanding the unique mental and physical health related experiences of male sexual assault survivors is important for helping this underserved group. The present study aimed to examine whether male survivors of sexual trauma who struggle with self-blame are more likely than other men exposed to potentially traumatic events to engage in reduced exercise and increased eating to cope with negative affect. Participants were a racially diverse sample of 639 male university students who were all directly exposed to a DSM-5 Criterion A potentially traumatic event. Of the 639 participants, 93 reported a history of sexual trauma. We hypothesized that men with sexual trauma histories would report more maladaptive health behaviors compared to men with other trauma histories, and that self-blame would moderate these associations. We found that sexual trauma, but not self-blame, was associated with reduced exercise. In addition, we found no direct effects of self-blame or sexual trauma for eating behaviors, however a significant interaction emerged whereby sexual trauma survivors with lower levels of self-blame were significantly more likely to eat to cope with negative affect. These findings highlight the complex role of trauma type and self-blame in shaping health behavior and point to considerations for clinicians working with male survivors, including the challenges some men may face in engaging in regular exercise during trauma recovery.