Emotional, Behavioral, and HIV Risks Associated With Sexual Abuse Among Adult Homosexual and Bisexual Men

• NCJ Number: 151338
• Journal: Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 18 Issue: 9 Dated: (September 1994) Pages: 747-761
• Author(s): B N Bartholow; L S Doll; D Joy; J M Douglas Jr; G Bolan; J S Harrison; P M Moss; D McKirnan
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 15 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Interviews with 1,001 adult homosexual and bisexual men attending urban clinics for sexually transmitted diseases gathered information regarding abusive sexual contacts during childhood and adolescence.

Abstract

The interviews were conducted between May 1989 and April 1990 in Chicago, Denver, and San Francisco. Results revealed that child sexual abuse was significantly associated with mental health counseling and hospitalization, drug abuse, depression, suicidal thoughts or actions, social support, sexual identity development, HIV risk behavior such as unprotected anal intercourse and intravenous drug abuse, and the risk of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases. Results suggest that childhood sexual abuse many have a broad influence on the quality of life and the health risk behaviors of homosexual men. Findings indicated that increased awareness of the potential outcomes of male sexual abuse is critically important to the design and implementation of medical and psychological services for sexually abused men.