Childhood Sexual Abuse and Risk Behaviors Among Men at High Risk for HIV Infection

Objectives. This study examined the association between unwanted sexualactivity during childhood and risky behaviors among a sample of predominantly African American and Hispanic men.Methods. Data were obtained from baseline interviews completed by 2676 men enrolled in a multisite HIV prevention trial.Results. Approximately 25% of the men reported unwanted or uninvited sexualactivity before 13 years of age, with Hispanic men more likely than African American men to report unwanted sexualactivity during childhood. Men with a history of unwanted sexualactivity during childhood were more likely to report unwanted sexualactivity since age 13, the buying and selling of sex, problems with alcohol, and drug use. Men who reported unwanted sexualactivity during childhood also reported a significantly greater frequency of unprotected sexual actsand more partners.Conclusions. Among men at high risk for HIV infection, unwanted sexualactivity during childhood is more widespread than previously described and ca...