Male Victims of Adult Sexual Assault: A Descriptive Study of Survivors' Use of Sexual Assault Treatment Services

This descriptive study aims to provide new information about the services used by sexually assaulted men and adolescent boys presenting to specialized hospital-based sexual assault programs and further insight into the factors that may be associated with their victimization. Information was collected from 38 male clients aged 12+ presenting to 29 sexual assault treatment centers in Ontario, Canada over 12 months. Variables were examined across 6 domains: time to presentation, client sociodemographics, assailant characteristics, assault characteristics, physical health consequences, and service delivery and utilization. A substantial minority of participants reported vulnerabilities such as young age; being Aboriginal; being transgendered, unemployed and/or on disability; working in the sex trade; and living on the streets, in a rehabilitative center, or in a correctional facility. Almost one-third identified or were documented as having a disability and, for most of these victims, it was either psychiatric in nature or developmental delay. All participants accepted at least one service offered; 86% used five or more services, most commonly those related to health care on-site such as crisis counseling, treatment of injuries, and referral for follow-up care for supportive counseling, injury redocumentation, and testing for sexually transmitted infections. These findings reveal that male clients' uptake of specialized sexual assault services is significant and it is, therefore, important to provide access to a comprehensive range of psychological, medical, and forensic treatment options and referrals to other community services for ongoing support. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.