Help-Seeking Behaviors of Men Sexual Assault Survivors

Abstract

Men sexual assault is a serious public health issue that is mostly underreported and unrecognized. Despite serious deleterious effects of sexual assault, most men victims do not seek professional help. This study was conducted to examine predictors of help-seeking practices among 91 men sexual assault survivors from a population-based survey. The study showed only 17.6% of the victims sought professional help. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that physical injury (OR = 6.58, 95% CI = 1.08-40.19), perpetration by family or friend (OR = 6.42, 95% CI = 1.47-28.04), history of rape before the age of 18 (OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.11-1.69), and threat at the time of incident (OR = 7.08, 95% CI = 1.52-33.03) were significant predictors of help-seeking practices. This study confirms that the majority of men sexual assault victims do not seek professional help. Victims with physical injury or threat were more likely to seek help. Further study should investigate barriers for help-seeking practices. Efforts should be made to reach men with a history of sexual assault.