These summaries were written by SVPEP staff and are based on original papers published within the last 4 years. The information available on this web site is provided as a public service and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the Arizona Department of Health Services, or the University of Arizona. To conduct an individual search or locate older articles use the Search Summary Database which includes over 600 articles related to sexual violence.

Bergen, R. & Bukovec, P. (2006). Men and intimate partner rape: characteristics of men who sexually abuse their partner. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 21, 1375-1384. [Posted October 2006]

Key Points: Among men enrolled in an abuse intervention program, more than half said they had committed at least one kind of sexual abuse against their most recent female partner.

Summary: Men enrolling in an abuse intervention program completed questionnaires (n=229) that included 17 items about sexually violent or coercive acts with their most recent female partner, ranging from emotionally coercing her to have sex against her will to physically forcing her to have sex with the perpetrator, other people, animals, or objects. Fifty-three percent of the men said they had committed at least one kind of sexual abuse. The most common act of abuse (40%) was emotionally coercing a partner to have sex when she did not want to. Fourteen percent of men used physical force at least once. Seventeen percent admitted to having sex with a partner when she was unable to consent (including while she slept).

Limitations: 65% of men in the study were court-ordered to the intervention program, and one-third were self-referred. Almost half of the men were African-American. Care should be taken when reviewing the data in the study; the authors mix reports of their results with information from other studies, which may be confusing. Terms such as “sexual assault,” “rape,” and “sexual abuse” are used interchangeably.

Topics: marital rape; perpetration

DeKeseredy, W. S., Rogness, M., & Schwartz, M. D. (2004). Separation/divorce sexual assault: The current state of social scientific knowledge. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 9, 675-691.

This article reviews some of the central concerns pertaining to women’s increased risk of not only lethal or nonlethal physical abuse, but their increased risk of sexual assault as well, during separation or divorce from cohabitation/marriage with an abusive male partner. Existing research on separation/divorce sexual assault is discussed covering definitions, prevalence rates and risk factors, and theoretical contributions of the contemporary research along with proposed recommendations concerning potential research on this topic. For example, the authors contend that multiple measures of sexual assault should be incorporated into any methodology examining separation/divorce sexual assault. Likewise, the role that societal patriarchy and gender inequality play in exacerbating “male proprietariness” (p. 686) may be one of the key factors that make exiting an abusive relationship even more challenging. Indeed, while support and intervention for victims of marital rape are woefully lacking, assistance to victims of separation/divorce sexual assault are presumed to be even less available.

Topics: marital rape; prevalence; risk

McFarlane, J., Malecha, A., Watson, K., Gist, J., Batten, E., Hall, I. et al. (2005). Intimate partner sexual assault against women: Frequency, health consequences, and treatment outcomes. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 105, 99-108. [Posted October 2007]

Key Points: Women who contacted law enforcement or medical personnel after sexual assault by an intimate partner were less likely to be reassaulted.

Summary: Women who had requested orders of protection against abusive partners participated in this descriptive study (N=148). Sixty-eight percent (n=100) reported being sexually assaulted at least once by their partner. Women who were sexually assaulted multiple times reported significantly higher levels of gynecologic problems, including sexually transmitted diseases, than non-sexually assaulted women. Higher PTSD scores were found in women who were sexually assaulted than among those who were only physically assaulted. For either type of assault Latina/Hispanic women had higher PTSD scores than African American or White women. Women were less likely to be reassaulted if they told someone about the assault, contacted police, applied for protection orders, or received medical care. The researchers recommend the adoption of cooperative models that increase victims’ ability to access justice and medical services.

Limitations: Participants were recruited from a group of women who had applied for protective orders, and may differ from women who do not seek assistance from the justice system. The study relied on self-reports, which are subject to recall errors and omissions.

Topics: disclosure; effects; marital rape; racial/ethnic differences; risk

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Updated 09/19/08