Understanding health risks and promoting resilience in male youth with sexual violence experiences

Sexual violence victimization in males has been an area of gender neglect. Childhood sexual abuse, sexual coercion in dating, adolescent and young adult sexual assault have their impact on male sexual health, mental health, substance abuse, and suicidality. There is a need to clarify the specific pattern of elevated risks among male survivors, as well as a need to highlight the mechanisms that underlie challenges to healthy living and resilience for males. The emphasis on mediators plays a foundational role for intervention innovation and building upon established intervention models to address male trauma issues, and service delivery models that may be more suited to males.