Childhood sexual experiences and the perception of abuse among Latino men who have sex with men

Journal of Sex Research, August, 2002 by Curtis Dolezal, Alex Carballo-Dieguez

This paper is based on interviews with men who have had childhood sexual experiences with an older partner (CSEOP). At the time of the interview, some of these men felt that their experiences were childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and some did not. The first goal was to determine what aspects of their experiences differentiate these two groups (i.e., what experiences are associated with a perception of sexual abuse among men who have had CSEOP). This should broaden the understanding of CSA and contribute to a greater consensus regarding the definition of CSA. The second goal was to explore possible negative correlates (in adulthood) associated with CSEOP and the perception of having been the victim of childhood sexual abuse.

The Perception of Sexual Abuse Among Men who Have had CSEOP

In the last several years, many studies and doctoral dissertations have focused on childhood sexual abuse. Several recent review articles and meta-analyses have attempted to summarize and synthesize these studies' findings (Holmes & Slap, 1998; Jumper, 1995; Neumann, Houskamp, Pollock, & Briere, 1996; Rind & Tromovitch, 1997; Rind, Tromovitch, & Bauserman, 1998). Yet there is still a general lack of consensus among researchers as to how to define CSA. Definitions of CSA typically involve several criteria: age of the child (most set the maximum age at some point between 13 and 18); age of partner (sometimes based on an absolute age, other times on the age difference between child and partner; furthermore, sometimes this age differential varies based on age of child); relationship between child and partner (e.g., the partner must be an authority figure such as a parent, caregiver, or teacher); the sexual acts involved in the experience (criteria range from noncontact behaviors, such as physical exposure or sexual talk, to penetrative sex); the reaction of the child (many definitions ask about "something that you did not want to do," while others do not consider the volition of the child); and the extent of coercion involved. Given that this is a partial list of differences among definitions, it is clear that any comparison of CSA prevalence across a variety of studies is nearly meaningless unless some similarity in definition is established. For example, Fromuth and Burkhart (1987) demonstrated that prevalence rates varied from 4% to 24% in their samples of college males, simply by varying the definition of CSA. Similarly, Jumper (1995) found little association between self-esteem and CSA in college samples, compared to noncollege samples, but points out that all four college samples in the meta-analysis included non-contact behaviors in their definition of CSA, indicating that the differences in the degree of associations are possibly due to differences in the severity of the experiences considered CSA in the various studies, rather than actual sample differences. A greater consensus regarding how CSA is defined would allow for cross-study comparisons that are currently difficult, given the broad variability in operationalizing CSA.

Surprisingly, the individual's own perception of whether her/his experiences constitute sexual abuse is typically not considered in the various definitions outlined above. Freire (1990) emphasizes the importance of engaging victims of injustice in dialogue regarding their oppression. He writes, "Attempting to liberate the oppressed without their reflective participation in the act of liberation is to treat them as objects which must be saved from a burning building," and "It is necessary to trust in the oppressed and in their ability to reason" (Freire, 1990, pp. 52-53). Researchers and theorists should take into consideration the perspective of those who have experienced the abuse or sexual events with which they are concerned. In addition, understanding the factors associated with a perception of abuse among people who have had CSEOP could contribute to efforts toward a greater consensus regarding the definition of CSA. Knowledge of such accounts will also raise awareness regarding the variety of childhood sexual experiences and thereby inform those who are interested in CSA, whether for scientific, clinical, or personal reasons.

Adulthood Correlates of Childhood Sexual Experiences With an Older Partner

Another topic of continuing debate is the issue of harmful repercussions throughout life for those who experience CSA. Although it is implicit in most research that CSA is a traumatic experience for the victim, followed by long-term suffering and negative consequences, this assumption has been challenged in two meta-analyses conducted by Rind et al. (1997, 1998). They conclude that negative psychological consequences of CSA are typically neither pervasive nor intense. They also note that negative reactions are less likely for males who have experienced CSA compared to females. They even convincingly challenge a contemporary meta-analysis (Jumper, 1995) that reported relatively large effect sizes for the relationship between CSA and negative psychological consequences (it seems that the effect size calculations of the latter report were often erroneous; see Rind et al., 1998, p. 26). Rind et al. (1998) found that even when negative correlates of CSA were found, the effect was greatly attenuated if there was any statistical adjustment for family environment covariates. Rind's conclusions provoked strong reactions (Goode, 1999) because critics felt they gave "pedophiles a green flag" and trivialized the impact of CSA experiences. Politicians; activists, and media personalities spoke out condemning Rind's articles. Nevertheless, some studies have found that sexual experiences in childhood with older partners are sometimes seen as positive experiences by the children themselves (Okami, 1991: males and females who reported sexual contact, as defined by the participant, prior to age 16 with another person 5 or more years older; Sandfort, 1984: boys in a pedophiliac relationship with an adult male in which sexual contact occurred), so Rind's conclusions are not without precedent.