Unwanted Early Sexual Experiences Among Male University Students in Belgium and South Africa

Abstract

This study compared the unwanted early sexual experiences (UESE) of Belgian and South African first-year male university students. A self-report checklist was administered to all consenting students attending an orientation programme at a Belgian and a South African University. Respondents were 1,017 Belgians (M. age = 18.3, SD = 1.63) and 335 South Africans (M. age = 19.3, SD = 3.40). Of the Belgian respondents 12.3% (N = 125) reported UESE compared to 56.4% (N = 189) of South African respondents. Most Belgian and South African respondents reported that the unwanted event occurred once only (66.7% and 56.6%), although some respondents were subjected to UESE for a year or more. Many respondents reported that they were not bothered by the experiences when they occurred (41% of South Africans and 40% of Belgians) and when completing the checklist (53.4% of South Africans and 55.2% of Belgians). These results show a high percentage of South African males being subjected to UESE which is much higher than the child sexual abuse (CSA) rates reported by the few South African studies of male university students. It also confirms the lower self-perceived impact of such experiences for male university students.