Prevalence of non-contact and contact childhood sexual abuse: An Internet-based sample of men who have sex with men in China.

The prevalence of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is high among Western men who have sex with men (MSM), and CSA is associated with certain socio-demographic variables and with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status. Little is known about CSA among Chinese MSM; therefore, we explored the prevalence...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wenjian Xu, Lijun Zheng, Yong Zheng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2017-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5386252?pdf=render
Description
Summary:The prevalence of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is high among Western men who have sex with men (MSM), and CSA is associated with certain socio-demographic variables and with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status. Little is known about CSA among Chinese MSM; therefore, we explored the prevalence and frequency of non-contact (e.g., sexual invitations, exhibitionism) and contact (e.g., intercourse, genital contact) forms of CSA in an Internet-based sample of MSM in China. We also examined the associations between the participants' socio-demographic characteristics and HIV status, and their histories of CSA.We surveyed MSM from 30 Chinese provinces in 2014-2015; 1,030 (mean age = 25.15 years, SD = 6.32) and 1,020 (mean age = 25.05 years, SD = 5.95) respondents were eligible for inclusion in the non-contact and contact CSA groups, respectively.Prevalence of non-contact and contact CSA was 36.2% and 29.8%, respectively; 20.4% and 15.0% had experienced non-contact and contact CSA ≥ 3 times, respectively. Most respondents were young adults, well educated, single, had never "come out," and self-identified as gay or bisexual men. Univariate analyses showed that respondents who had experienced contact CSA were more likely to be HIV-positive than those who had never experienced contact CSA. Multivariate analyses showed that non-contact CSA was associated with less education, being in a relationship with a woman or a man, and having "come out." Contact CSA was associated with less education, higher income, and being in a relationship with a man. Respondents who had experienced non-contact CSA ≥ 3 times were more likely to be less educated, "out," and to be in a relationship with a woman or a man. Respondents who had experienced contact CSA ≥ 3 times were more likely to be less educated and to be in a relationship with a man.It is necessary to pay closer attention to CSA among MSM and other sexual minorities in China.
ISSN:1932-6203