Characteristics and associated factors of self-disclosed sexual aggression in a national representative sample of Belgian adults aged 16-69

Abstract

Sexual violence is a major public health, societal, and judicial problem worldwide. Studies investigating the characteristics of its offenders often rely on samples of convicted offenders, which are then biased by low reporting and conviction rates of sexual offences. The reliability of self-report studies of undetected sexual offenders, however, is threatened by underreporting of sexually aggressive acts. Despite these limitations, we argue that it is important to publish available data on self-disclosed sexual aggression to learn more about those who are more likely to report own sexual aggression and to further improve self-report methods. Based on a self-report study conducted in a representative sample (n = 4,693) of the Belgian general population aged 16 to 69, we provide lifetime and past-year prevalence rates of sexual aggression and report the characteristics of the events, including type, target, and the applied coercion strategies. A logistic regression analysis revealed factors associated with self-disclosed sexual aggression. Almost 4% of all participants reported at least one incident of hands-on sexual aggression. Men were more likely than women to report sexual aggression (aOR: 5.33 (95% CI:3.62-7.86). Furthermore, a history of sexual victimization was associated with sexual aggression. In most cases, the target was an (ex)partner or friend. About 4 in 5 perpetrators indicated that none of the given coercion strategies (i.e., force, threat, verbal pressure, or exploiting the victim’s incapacitation or the own position of authority) applied to the incident. Further research is needed to clarify under which circumstances sexual aggression occurs and which factors increase reporting thereof.