Citation

McCarthy-Jones S, Bulfin A, Nixon E, O'Keane V, Bacik I, McElvaney R. Violence Against Women 2019; 25(5): 528-548.

Affiliation

Dublin City University, Ireland.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077801218793223

PMID

30141372

Abstract

The effects of nonconsensual first experiences of sexual intercourse in women are understudied. This was investigated in 3,875 adult women of whom 6.7% reported "persuaded" first-sex and 0.8% reported forced first-sex. Compared with willing first-sex, both forced and "persuaded" first-sex occurred earlier, involved a greater age difference between partners, and were associated with more lifetime sexual partners and some measures of worse psychological well-being. In addition, "persuaded" first-sex was associated with worse general physical health. "Persuaded" first-sex and its relation to health need to be better understood, along with how culture influences women's experiences of first-sex.

Language: en

Keywords

abuse; adolescence; childhood; coercion; date rape; mental health; women’s health