018 The Sexual Well-being of Men With and Without a History of Nonconsensual Sexual Experiences: A Preliminary Examination

Abstract

Research has demonstrated that men are significantly less likely to report, disclose, or seek help for nonconsensual sexual experiences (NSEs) than are women. Men are also less likely than women to identify the NSEs with common sexual violence labels (i.e., sexual assault, rape, sexual abuse). NSE identification is theorized to relate to underlying cognitive processes associated with various sexual health outcomes, though the research has primarily been conducted with women. The current analyses aim to provide a preliminary examination of the differences in various sexual well-being indicators between men without NSE histories and men who both do and do not identify their NSEs with common sexual violence labels. A total of 387 men with NSEs (groups: identifiers = 194, non-identifiers = 193) and 237 without NSEs were recruited from Mechanical Turk. They completed online measures of NSE histories (NSEI; Kilimnik et al., 2018), erectile functioning (IIEF; Rosen et al., 1997), sexual excitation and inhibition (SESI-WM; Milhausen et al., 2010), and sexual compulsivity (SCS; Kalichman et al., 1994). All sexual well-being outcomes variables were residualized for same-sex attraction, same-sex sexual activity, and age. Between-group differences were then examined on all variables using a Bonferroni adjustment to the significance criterion to correct for multiple comparisons. Cohen’s d statistics are provided as effect size estimates.