The association between ethnic identity and sexual coercion among young men in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

J Health Psychol. 2012 Oct;17(7):1089-94. doi: 10.1177/1359105311431174. Epub 2011 Dec 6.

Abstract

Sexual coercion by males poses important ethical, legal and public health challenges. Individual face-to-face structured interviews were conducted among 1656 men who had undergone male initiation and circumcision in rural areas of the Eastern Cape Province. Overall, 8.4 per cent of the participants reported ever having forced someone to have sex. Logistic regression adjusting for age, working status, education level and nation of origin showed that participants that expressed high cultural affiliation were significantly less likely to sexually coerce someone. The findings suggest that emphasizing cultural commitment may reduce sexual coercion, though findings need to be replicated.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Coercion*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Cultural Characteristics
  • Dominance-Subordination
  • Humans
  • Logistic Models
  • Male
  • Rural Population
  • Sexual Behavior / ethnology*
  • Social Identification*
  • South Africa / ethnology
  • Young Adult