Disordered Eating and Forced Sex Among Adolescent Males

Background: Eating disorders among adolescent males are an understudied public health problem. Although a number of factors may contribute to disordered eating within this population, experiences of forced sexual intercourse among adolescent males may be a significant risk factor. This study sought to examine the independent association between experiences of forced sexual intercourse and disordered eating among adolescent males. Methods: Using data from a nationally representative sample (n = 3,161), three logistic regression models were fit to the data to examine the association between forced sexual intercourse and disordered eating among sexually active adolescent males. Race/ethnicity and grade in school were included as control variables. Number of sexual partners, sports team participation, depressive symptoms, weight perceptions, and body mass index (BMI) were included as potentially confounding covariates. Results: Overall, 12.6% of adolescent males in the sample reported at least one disordered-eating behavior, and 6.9% reported experiences of forced sexual intercourse. In bivariate analysis, adolescent males who reported forced sexual intercourse were 3.40 times (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.40, 4.81) more likely to report disordered eating compared to males who did not report forced sexual intercourse. Forced sexual intercourse remained significant in multivariable analyses (odds ratio [OR]: 2.50, 95% CI: 1.69, 3.70). Conclusion: The 2.50 OR disordered eating among adolescent males with experiences of forced sexual intercourse suggests that sexual victimization is related to unhealthy behaviors. Future studies should focus on prospective analyses of this association to determine cause and effect.