Male sexual assault is often rooted in childhood, but its measurement varies across studies. Research reviews estimate prevalence among boys at around 7–8% and place the odds of adverse mental health outcomes for males with a sexual-abuse history at about 2.5 times higher than those without. The page also examines how outcomes differ, including PTSD symptom rates in clinical samples, major depression prevalence, and increased suicidality risk.
Key Takeaways
- In a systematic review, 7.0% of men reported having experienced child sexual abuse (pooled prevalence estimate)
- A meta-analysis estimated global prevalence of child sexual abuse at 8.0% for boys (lifetime)
- In a systematic review/meta-analysis, the pooled lifetime prevalence of sexual abuse in boys was about 7.1%
- 2.5x higher odds of adverse mental health outcomes are observed in males with a history of sexual abuse vs. those without (pooled meta-analytic association)
- 38.0% of male survivors of childhood sexual abuse reported post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a clinical sample
- 26.0% of men with histories of childhood sexual abuse reported major depression in a meta-analysis
About 7 to 8 percent of boys experience sexual abuse, linked to higher PTSD, depression, and suicidality later in life.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence & Burden7 stats
01
In a systematic review, 7.0% of men reported having experienced child sexual abuse (pooled prevalence estimate)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6493352/
02
A meta-analysis estimated global prevalence of child sexual abuse at 8.0% for boys (lifetime)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23359628/
03
In a systematic review/meta-analysis, the pooled lifetime prevalence of sexual abuse in boys was about 7.1%https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1077699010387301
04
In a UNICEF global review, the prevalence of sexual violence against boys is estimated at 6% (median estimate)https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/1001-sexual-violence-against-children-a-review-of-evidence.html
05
In the U.S., 2.8% of male students report being forced to have sexual intercoursehttps://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm
06
A meta-analysis found that the pooled prevalence of sexual violence among boys in childhood was 9.6%https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4201756/
07
In the U.S. National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) linked violence context, 1.0% of homicide victims were male sexual assault victims (proxy context measure)https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html
Interpretation
Prevalence & Burden Interpretation
Overall, the prevalence of sexual abuse and sexual violence against boys and men is consistently high across studies, with pooled or estimated figures clustering around 6% to 9.6% lifetime exposure and a 7.0% pooled estimate for men reporting child sexual abuse, underscoring a major and ongoing Prevalence and Burden challenge.
More related reading
02 · Category
Health Consequences30 stats
01
2.5x higher odds of adverse mental health outcomes are observed in males with a history of sexual abuse vs. those without (pooled meta-analytic association)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25607896/
02
38.0% of male survivors of childhood sexual abuse reported post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a clinical samplehttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3398973/
03
26.0% of men with histories of childhood sexual abuse reported major depression in a meta-analysishttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19712983/
04
1.8x increased odds of suicidality were found in studies of male survivors of sexual abuse (pooled effect estimate)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25955244/
05
Sexual violence victimization is associated with a 2.7x increase in alcohol misuse risk (pooled estimate for adults including men)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5852656/
06
Male victims of sexual violence have higher rates of PTSD; one meta-analysis estimated 20.7% PTSD prevalence among sexual assault survivorshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23197325/
07
Child sexual abuse in boys is associated with a 2.0x increase in likelihood of engaging in self-harm behaviors (systematic review estimate)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4762332/
08
In a U.S. study, 41% of male rape/sexual assault victims reported receiving at least one mental health diagnosishttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4339628/
09
In a systematic review, the prevalence of substance use disorder among male survivors of sexual abuse was about 10%https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27403644/
10
In a meta-analysis, the odds of anxiety disorders were 2.0x higher among men with childhood sexual abuse historieshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16812020/
11
In a study of healthcare impacts, 33% of survivors reported needing additional medical services after sexual violence (includes men)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6023598/
12
In a cohort study, victims of sexual violence were 2.3x as likely to have chronic pain diagnoseshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24635405/
13
In a meta-analysis, sexual assault victimization is associated with 1.4x increased risk of depressionhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26052303/
14
In a large population study, adverse psychosocial outcomes affected 60% of male victims of sexual abuse (survey-based)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22001498/
15
In a clinical study, 44% of men with childhood sexual abuse histories reported sleep disturbanceshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24302121/
16
In a systematic review, 26% of male survivors of childhood sexual abuse reported eating disorder symptomshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25905903/
17
In the U.S., 1 in 5 (20%) rape survivors report adverse reproductive health outcomes (e.g., STIs) (NISVS-related review synthesis)https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/sexual-assault.htm
18
Pooled estimates suggest 33% of male sexual assault victims were exposed to potential STIs (post-exposure risk communication figure)https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/sexual-assault.htm
19
In a prospective study, male survivors of child sexual abuse had 1.6x higher rates of PTSD than controlshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18589055/
20
In a meta-analysis, the pooled effect of child sexual abuse on later depression was an odds ratio of about 1.5https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21725064/
21
In a systematic review, childhood sexual abuse increased risk of suicidality by about 2x (pooled)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20461141/
22
In a meta-analysis, PTSD prevalence among adult survivors of sexual assault was 31% (depending on screening tools)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29101058/
23
In a review, 29% of sexual assault survivors report experiencing functional impairment (work/education) after the incidenthttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5852702/
24
In a study of veterans, 42% of male sexual trauma survivors reported clinically significant PTSD symptomshttps://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/assessment/tx-ratings-patient-symptoms.asp
25
In a clinical guideline paper, up to 20% of sexual assault survivors require follow-up care for injuries (men included)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4490423/
26
In a study, sexual assault survivors had a 2.4x higher rate of chronic gastrointestinal symptomshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22522614/
27
In a meta-analysis, childhood sexual abuse increases the risk of borderline personality traits by about 1.8xhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23545631/
28
In a study, 35% of male survivors reported increased anger and aggression symptomshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2782031/
29
In a population survey, 16% of men with prior sexual abuse reported reduced quality of life vs 5% without (survey-based odds)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24020148/
30
In a cohort, male victims had 1.7x higher rates of PTSD-related impairment in daily functioning (hazard ratio figure)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25320233/
Interpretation
Health Consequences Interpretation
For the Health Consequences of male sexual assault, the evidence consistently shows major mental health burdens, with 38.0% of males in clinical samples reporting PTSD symptoms after childhood sexual abuse and pooled findings indicating 2.5 times higher odds of adverse mental health outcomes compared with those without abuse history.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Julian Richter. (2026, February 13). Male Sexual Assault Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/male-sexual-assault-statistics
MLA
Julian Richter. "Male Sexual Assault Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/male-sexual-assault-statistics.
Chicago
Julian Richter. 2026. "Male Sexual Assault Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/male-sexual-assault-statistics.
Sources & references
36 datasets cited across this report
+30 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)