Members of the Male Survivors Partnership are committed to improving the body of research about sexual abuse affecting males.
Research can be used to evidence funding applications, support operational strategies and inform clinical practice. In this section you will find academic research broken down into classifications to help you find the relevant data for your needs.
Read the abbreviated Literature Review deck with key findings – click the thumbnail below.
Read the full Literature Review report by clicking the thumbnail below
The last decade, particularly the last five years, has seen a substantial increase in research activity focused on sexual violence against boys and men. However, those supporting male survivors, and the communities of boys and men in need of support, rarely have access to research findings that may be of value to them.
One role of the university sector is to facilitate the exchange of knowledge so that research benefits society and so that research agendas are informed by the needs of relevant communities. Partnership and collaboration between academics, campaigners, and service providers has a long tradition within work on sexual violence against women and girls. The same level of collaboration has not been evident in relation to sexual violence against boys and men. This is largely due to the general lack of attention to the male victim-survivor experience of sexual violence, certainly in comparison to the female victim-survivor.
Specialist service provision for boys and men affected by sexual violence has a short history and whilst research in this area begins to emerge from around 1980, the volume of research is far smaller than that which has done so much to highlight sexual violence against women and girls. Our review indicates a substantive change in the volume of research being published in relation to sexual violence against boys and men over the past 5-10 years. Therefore, as specialist service provision also expands, and as frontline services search to improve the services they offer boys and men, it is critical that researchers work with the sector, including and especially with boys and men, to both develop and disseminate knowledge in relation to prevention and to improving responses to and services for boys and men.
There are some very positive indicators that such collaborations are already underway. In the UK, MSP were recently a partner on the JiCSAV project, led by Dr Siobhan Weare at Lancaster University, which explored the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the justice journeys of sexual violence survivors. Earlier in 2023, MSP commissioned a report with University of Brighton researchers who, through the project, Men’s Unwanted Sexual Experiences (MUSE), investigated what prevents men reporting incidents of unwanted sexual contact and seeking support
Recently, we had the ECPAT’s first global summit on the sexual exploitation of boys as part of their ongoing Global Boys Initiative. A key element of this work has been the development of case studies of service providers in order to share good practice from around the world, including the work of MSP member, First Step in Leicester.
This Literature Review report, commissioned by MSP, can be seen as part of this endeavour. The report offers an overview of some key research literature on sexual violence with a specific focus on sexual violence against boys and men. Our intention has been to focus on areas that may be most useful for victims and survivors and those that support them. We particularly hope it may provide material and knowledge that will assist service providers to expand and develop their services. However, the report should be seen as a starting point rather than an end point and MSP is keen to explore the content with its membership and other stakeholders to develop more research and new training programmes from its findings.
By Mike Hartill, Edge Hill University, Co-author of the Literature Review, July 2023
This section will be regularly updated with ongoing research projects by students and organisations seeking support and input. If there are no current studies listed, please check back for new opportunities.
Stephen Hanvey, PhD student at Southampton University Law school:
Ministry of Justice stats and known rates of CSA indicate that each year nearly 1000 people who are themselves ‘survivors’ of such abuse will find themselves sitting on a jury of such a trial. There is no clear means for avoidance and the trial nature is not clear to the jury until it is empaneled and the charges read out. We have little understanding of how this impacts those with lived experience of CSA. This is the first study to investigate this issue, with the objective of improving support and care for jurors on such trials. With ethics approval from my university’s relevant ethics committee secured, I launched an anonymous questionnaire at the beginning of March and interest has been shown by the BBC.
You can access the anonymous questionnaire here and read the BBC article here.
Below we’ve listed relevant papers from 2013 to 2022. To find where the full paper is available, copy and paste the title into Google Scholar.
Fisher, N.L., & Pina, A., (2012). An overview of the literature on female-perpetrated adult male sexual victimization, Aggression and Violent Behavior (2012),
Jamel, J. (2011). An investigation of the incidence of client-perpetrated sexual violence against male sex workers. International Journal of Sexual Health, 23(1), 63-78
Coxell, A. W., & King, M. B. (2010). Male victims of rape and sexual abuse. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 25(4), 380-391
Mandal, D., Maw, R. D., Carne, C. A., Opaneye, A., & Thirunavukarasu, T. (2010). Availability of services for subjects of sexual assault in genitourinary medicine ethics. International Journal of STD & AIDS, 21(5), 317-319
Coxell, A. W., & King, M. B. (2010). Adult male rape and sexual assault: Prevalence, re-victimisation and the tonic immobility response. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 25(4), 372-379
Finney, A. (2006). Domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking: Findings from the 2004/05 British Crime Survey. Home Office Online Report 12/06.
Walby, S., & Allen, J. (2004). Domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking: Findings from the British Crime Survey. Home Office Research Stud 276
Davies, M. (2002). Male sexual assault victims: A selective review of the literature and implications for support services. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 7(3), 203-213
Coxell, A. W., & King, M. B. (1996). Male victims of rape and sexual abuse. Sexual & Marital Therapy, 11(3), 297- 308
Keating, S. M., & Higgs, D. F. (1992). Oral sex -- further information from sexual assault cases. Journal of Forensic Science Society, 32(4), 327-331
Mezey, G. C. & King, M.B. (1992). Male victims of sexual assault. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Davies, M., Walker, J., Archer, J., & Pollard, P. (2010). A comparative study of long-term psychological functioning in male survivors of stranger and acquaintance rape. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 2(4), 25- 33
Williams, d. C., Peña, C. R., & Rice, A. S. C. (2010). Persistent pain in survivors of torture: A cohort study. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 40(5), 715-722
Walker, J., Archer, J., & Davies, M. (2005). Effects of rape on men: A descriptive analysis. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 34(1), 69-80
Walker, J., Archer, J., & Davies, M. (2005). Effects of male rape on psychological functioning. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 44(3), 445-451
Vearnals, S., & Campbell, T. (2001). Male victims of male sexual assault: A review of psychological consequences and treatment. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 16(3), 279-286
Mezey, G., & King, M. (1998). The effects of sexual assault on men: A survey of twenty-two victims. Psychological Medicine, 19(1), 205-206
Rogers, P. (1997). Post-traumatic stress disorder following male rape. Journal of Mental Health, 6(1), 5-9
Jamel, J. (2011). An investigation of the incidence of client-perpetrated sexual violence against male sex workers. International Journal of Sexual Health, 23(1), 63-78
King, M., & Woollett, E. (1997). Sexually assaulted males: 115 men consulting a counseling service. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 26(6), 579-588
New research explores how myths about male victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) are shaped by sexism, gender norms, and individuals’ own experiences with IPV. Findings show that sexist attitudes—both hostile and benevolent—play a major role in reinforcing beliefs that minimize or dismiss male victimization. Download the study here.
Mandal, D., Maw, R. D., Carne, C. A., Opaneye, A., & Thirunavukarasu, T. (2010). Availability of services for subjects of sexual assault in genitourinary medicine ethics. International Journal of STD & AIDS, 21(5), 317-319
Davies, M., Walker, J., Archer, J., & Pollard, P. (2010). A comparative study of long-term psychological functioning in male survivors of stranger and acquaintance rape. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 2(4), 25- 33
Sullivan, M. (2011). An Exploration of Service Delivery to Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse. A report produced for Mankind, Brighton
Craig, D. (2010). Virtually Helping? An exploration of the use of the Internet and online resources by adult male survivors of childhood sexual abuse. A dissertation submitted to The University of Manchester for the degree of MA in Counselling Studies in the Faculty of Humanities
Sullivan, M.T. (2007) What do male survivors of sexual violence find effective in short term therapy? A dissertation submitted to The University of Brighton for the degree of MA in Counselling Studies
Vearnals, S., & Campbell, T. (2001). Male victims of male sexual assault: A review of psychological consequences and treatment. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 16(3), 279-286
Tomlinson, D. R., & Harrison, J. (1998). The management of adult male victims of sexual assault in the GUM clinic: A practical guide. International Journal of STD & AIDS, 9(12), 720-724
Mezey, G. C. & King, M.B.(1992). Male victims of sexual assault. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Doherty, K., & Anderson, I. (2004). Making sense of male rape: Constructions of gender, sexuality and experience of rape victims. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 14(2), 85-103
Anderson, I. (2004). Explaining negative rape victim perception: Homophobia and the male rape victim. Current Research in Social Psychology, 10(4)
Anderson, I., & Lyons, A. (2005). The effect of victims' social support on attributions of blame in female and male rape. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 35(7), 1400-1417
Davies, M., & Rogers, P. (2006). Perceptions of male victims in depicted sexual assaults: A review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, Vol.11, no.4, Pp.367 – 377
Davies, M., Pollard, P., & Archer, J. (2006). Effects of perpetrator gender and victim sexuality on blame toward male victims of sexual assault. The Journal of Social Psychology, 146(3), 275-291
Anderson, I. (2007). What is a typical rape? effects of victim and participant gender in female and male rape perception. British Journal of Social Psychology, 46(1), 225-245
Davies, M., Rogers, P., & Bates, J. (2008). Blame toward male rape victims in a hypothetical sexual assault as a function of victim sexuality and degree of resistance. Journal of Homosexuality, 55(3), 533-544
Anderson, I., & Quinn, A. (2009). Gender differences in medical students' attitudes towards male and female rape victims. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 14(1), 105-110
Rumney, P. (2009). Gay male rape victims: Law enforcement, social attitudes and barriers to recognition. The International Journal of Human Rights, 13(2-3), 233-250
Sleath, E., & Bull, R. (2010). Male rape victim and perpetrator blaming. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 25(6), 969-988
Fisher, N.L., & Pina, A., (2012). An overview of the literature on female-perpetrated adult male sexual victimization, Aggression and Violent Behavior (2012)
Davies, M., & Boden, S. J. (2012). Examining the sexual preference effect in depicted male sexual assault. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 4(3), 136-143
Davies, M., Gilston, J., & Rogers, P. (2012). Examining the relationship between male rape myth acceptance, female rape myth acceptance, victim blame, homophobia, gender roles, and ambivalent sexism. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 27(14), 2807-2823
Wakelin, A., & Long, K. M. (2003). Effects of victim gender and sexuality on attributions of blame to rape victims. Sex Roles, 49(9-10), 477-487
Davies, M., & McCartney, S. (2003). Effects of gender and sexuality on judgements of victim blame and rape myth acceptance in a depicted male rape. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 13(5), 391-398
Anderson, I., & Swainson, V. (2001). Perceived motivation for rape: Gender differences in beliefs about female and male rape. Current Research in Social Psychology, 6(8)
Anderson, I. (1999). Characterological and behavioral blame in conversations about female and male rape. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 18(4), 377-394
Rumney, P & Hanley, N. (2010) The mythology of male rape. Social attitudes and law enforcement. In C. McGlynn & V. Munro (eds). Rethinking rape law: National, International, and European perspectives (pp294-307). Routledge-Cavendish.
Davies, M., Pollard, P., & Archer, J. (2001). The influence of victim gender and sexual orientation on judgments of the victim in a depicted stranger rape. Violence and Victims, 16(6), 607-619
Published in 2025, this Australian review explores the barriers to disclosure and provides a useful summary of implications for policy, clinical practice and research. Read the full report here.
The MUSE project, led by the University of Brighton and commissioned by the Male Survivors Partnership, explored why men often don’t report unwanted sexual experiences or seek support. Findings revealed key barriers, including societal beliefs that sexual violence primarily affects women, fear of not being believed, and institutional shortcomings. The research highlights the need for more inclusive, diverse, and well-funded services tailored to men’s varied experiences. Read the full report here.
Tomlinson, D. R., & Harrison, J. (1998). The management of adult male victims of sexual assault in the GUM clinic: A practical guide. International Journal of STD & AIDS, 9(12), 720-724
Adler, Z. (2000). Male victims of sexual assault - legal issues. In G. Mezey, & M. King (Eds.), Male victims of sexual assault (2nd ed.) pp 125-140. Oxford: Oxford University Press Book
Lea, Susan J.; Lanvers, Ursula and Shaw, Steve (2003). Attrition in rape cases: Developing a profile and identifying relevant factors. British Journal of Criminology, 43(3), pp. 583–599.
Rumney, P. (2008) Policing male rape and sexual assault. The Journal of Criminal Law, 72, 67-86
Jamel, J., Bull, R., & Sheridan, L. (2008). Investigation of the specialist police service provided to male rape survivors. International Journal of Police Science and Management, 10(4), 486-508
Rumney, P. (2009). Gay male rape victims: Law enforcement, social attitudes and barriers to recognition. The International Journal of Human Rights, 13(2-3), 233-250
Davies, M., Pollard, P., & Archer, J. (2001). The influence of victim gender and sexual orientation on judgments of the victim in a depicted stranger rape. Violence and Victims, 16(6), 607-619
Hickson, F. C. I., Davies, P. M., Hunt, A. J., & Weatherburn, P. (1994). Gay men as victims of nonconsensual sex. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 23(3), 281-294
Wakelin, A., & Long, K. M. (2003). Effects of victim gender and sexuality on attributions of blame to rape victims. Sex Roles, 49(9-10), 477-487
Davies, M., Rogers, P., & Bates, J. (2008). Blame toward male rape victims in a hypothetical sexual assault as a function of victim sexuality and degree of resistance. Journal of Homosexuality, 55(3), 533-544
Rumney, P. (2009). Gay male rape victims: Law enforcement, social attitudes and barriers to recognition. The International Journal of Human Rights, 13(2-3), 233-250
Davies, M., Walker, J., Archer, J., & Pollard, P. (2010). A comparative study of long-term psychological functioning in male survivors of stranger and acquaintance rape. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 2(4), 25- 33
Knowles, G. J. (1999). Male prison rape: A search for causation and prevention. The Howard Journal, 38(3), 267- 282
Banbury, S. (2004). Coercive sexual behaviour in British prisons as reported by adult ex-prisoners. Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 43(2), 113-130
You’ll also find a list of pre-2012 research papers compiled as part of a literature review commissioned by member agency Survivors UK in 2012. The full review is available here.