Prevalence and characteristics of choking/strangulation during sex: Findings from a probability survey of undergraduate students

Abstract

Objective

In a random sample of undergraduate students, we aimed to: (1) establish the prevalence of choking and being choked; (2) examine demographic and situational predictors of being choked, and (3) examine demographic and situational predictors of choking someone.

Participants: 4168 randomly sampled undergraduates at a large public U.S. university.

Methods: A cross-sectional, confidential online survey.

Results: We found that 26.5% of women, 6.6% of men, and 22.3% of transgender and gender non-binary participants reported having been choked during their most recent sexual event. Additionally, 5.7% of women, 24.8% of men, and 25.9% of transgender and non-binary participants reported that they choked their partner at their most recent event. Choking was more prevalent among sexual minority students.

Conclusions: Choking is prevalent among undergraduate students; implications for college sexual health education are discussed.

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Indiana University School of Public Health for their generous support of this research.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Indiana University.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.