NCJ Number
246697
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 38 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2014 Pages: 271-279
Date Published
February 2004
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study described childhood sexual experiences with older partners (CSEOP).
Abstract
This sample of men in Argentina who have sex with men, a substantial minority reported CSEOP. Those who felt they had been sexually abused were significantly more likely to have had an older male partner than an older female partner and were more likely to report having been physically forced and threatened by their older partner in the course of the CSEOP. A total of 500 men responded to a computer administered self-interview with questions on CSEOP, defined as manual, oral, genital, or anal contact prior to age 13 with a partner at least 4 years older. Only 25 percent of the respondents identified themselves as gay. Eighteen percent of the respondents reported experiencing CSEOP, and the majority of these men did not feel they were harmed by the experience and did not perceive it as childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Just over two-thirds of respondents who had sex with men and who reported CSEOP indicated that their older partner was a female. Only 4 percent of those with a female older partner felt this experience constituted CSA compared to 44 percent who had had a male older partner. Among all men who reported CSEOP, those who felt sexually abused were more likely to have been physically forced or threatened, physically hurt, and emotionally hurt than those who did not feel sexually abused by CSEOP. Having experienced CSEOP, being harmed by the experiences, and perceiving the experiences as sexual abuse were not associated with current HIV sexual risk or substance use. The authors discuss cultural differences among countries as a factor in how childhood sexual experiences are perceived by males. 4 tables and 33 references