NCJ Number
182831
Journal
Sex Roles: A Journal of Research Volume: 39 Issue: 9/10 Dated: November 1998 Pages: 765-785
Editor(s)
Sue Rosenberg Zalk
Date Published
1998
Length
21 pages
Annotation
The authors explored the effects of child sexual abuse on adult male gender roles of boyhood survivors of abuse, specifically examining the effects of coerced male-on-male (CM), coerced female-on-male (CF), and non-coerced female-on-male (NF) sexual contact on attitudes toward and behavior in adult heterosexual relationships.
Abstract
During the 1970's, all children reported or suspected to have been sexually abused in a major northeastern city were brought to the emergency room of the city-owned hospital for collection of forensic evidence and treatment. Between 1971 and 1975, 147 males under 16 years of age were seen at the hospital for child sexual abuse. Twenty years after hospital visits, an effort was made to locate the boys who were then men between 22 and 35 years of age; 106 were interviewed. Consistent with gender socialization hypotheses, results showed that, relative to non-abused men, CM and CF survivors were more likely to report violence toward intimate partners. Compared to CF and NF survivors, CM survivors reported being kinder to women. CF survivors were more likely to have committed sex offenses relative to CM and NF survivors. Implications of the findings, particularly the high rate of sexual abuse in the study sample, are discussed, and future directions in child sexual abuse research are noted. 57 references, 3 tables, and 4 figures