PRIOR SEXUAL ASSAULT REPORTED BY MALE ATTENDERS AT A DEPARTMENT OF GENITOURINARY MEDICINE

One-hundred-and-fifty male patients who attended the department of gen itourinary medicine (GUM) completed a questionnaire which enquired int o a past history of sexual assault and asked certain details about the assault and various sequelae of such an experience. Twenty-one men ga ve a history of sexual assault, 11 of whom had been abused before the age of 16, 7 afterwards and 3 in both age groups. Victims of such an a ssault were more likely to be homosexual or bisexual than heterosexual . The substantial majority i.e. 104 (81%) of the 129 patients who had not been assaulted in the past had been brought up by both natural par ents. However, of the 21 males who reported a history of previous sexu al abuse only 11 (52%) had been raised by both natural parents alone a nd 9 of the remaining 10 who divulged such information had been brough t up in other circumstances. The association between not being raised entirely by both natural parents and a history of previous sexual assa ult was significant (P<0.01). Overall, physical contact of a sexual na ture was the most commonly reported type of abuse, followed by anal an d then by oral penetration. All of the perpetrators of assault were ma le except in one instance. Only 3 cases of assault were reported to th e police or other agencies. Those who had been abused as miners were m ore likely to acknowledge subsequent psychological difficulties and to have obtained professional counselling. This problem is a significant one which goes largely undetected in GUM departments and elsewhere. A high index of suspicion is required if we are to offer a sympathetic and appropriate service to these victims.