Adult male rape and sexual assault: prevalence, re-victimisation and the tonic immobility response

Abstract

Fifteen years ago we summarised research on what was known about the sexual assault of men and its effects. Here we present evidence from epidemiological research that demonstrates that the sexual assault of men is observed in many countries – demonstrating the widespread existence of the sexual assault of men and the need for further research. We also present research to show that the association between child sexual abuse and sexual assault in adult females has also been found in a variety of studies on men. Finally, we also consider the phenomenon of tonic immobility as this has important implications for the well-being of victims of sexual assault.

Keywords:

• rape
• sexual assault
• revictimisation
• tonic immobility