NCJ Number
69118
Journal
American Journal of Psychiatry Volume: 137 Issue: 7 Dated: (JULY 1980) Pages: 806-810
Date Published
1980
Length
5 pages
Annotation
THIS ANALYSIS OF 22 CASES OF MALE RAPE FOCUSES ON THE DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OFFENSE, THE DYNAMICS OF THE OFFENDER, THE IMPACT ON THE VICTIM, AND COMPARISON BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE RAPE.
Abstract
DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM 22 SUBJECTS--16 MALES WHO ADMITTED TO HAVING SEXUALLY ASSAULTED OTHER MALES AND 6 MALES WHO IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES AS VICTIMS. INFORMATION WAS OBTAINED THROUGH INTERVIEWS WITH THE SUBJECTS. IN ADDITION, THEIR CLINICAL RECORDS WERE EXAMINED. INFORMED CONSENT WAS OBTAINED FROM ALL SUBJECTS. THE OFFENDERS RANGED IN AGE FROM 12 TO 41 YEARS; MOST OF THEM (81 PERCENT) WERE TOTAL STRANGERS TO THEIR VICTIMS. THE 6 VICTIMS RANGED IN AGE FROM 16 TO 28 YEARS. BOTH THE OFFENDERS AND VICTIMS WERE WHITE. HALF OF THE VICTIMS WERE ASSAULTED BY STRANGERS, ONE WAS RAPED BY A CASUAL ACQUAINTANCE, AND TWO WERE RAPED BY CLOSE FRIENDS. COMBINED DATA WERE ANALYZED IN REGARD TO ACCESS TO THE VICTIM, STYLE OF ATTACK, TYPE OF SEX ACTS COMMITTED, MOTIVATIONAL COMPONENTS OF THE ASSAULT, HISTORY OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, AND IMPACT ON THE VICTIM. MEN APPEARED TO BE AT GREATER RISK WHEN ENGAGED IN SOLITARY ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS HITCHHIKING. THE OFFENDER GAINED SEXUAL CONTROL OF HIS VICTIM THROUGH THREE MAJOR METHODS: ENTRAPMENT, INTIMIDATION, AND PHYSICAL FORCE. IN 55 PERCENT OF THE CASES, ONLY A SINGLE TYPE OF SEXUAL ACTIVITY OCCURRED DURING THE OFFENSE; IN THE REMAINDER OF THE CASES, SEVERAL TYPES OF SEXUAL ACTS TOOK PLACE. FIVE MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL COMPONENTS WERE PROMINENT IN THE OFFENDERS: CONQUEST AND CONTROL, REVENGE AND RETALIATION, SADISM AND DEGRADATION, CONFLICT AND COUNTERACTION, AND STATUS AND AFFILIATION. THE IMPACT OF RAPE ON THE MALE VICTIMS WAS SIMILAR TO THAT ON FEMALE VICTIMS: THEIR BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTIONING WAS DISRUPTED. HOWEVER, MALE RAPE APPEARS TO BE UNDERREPORTED BECAUSE OF THE STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH IT. NINE REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. ABI MFE