Condom Use During Sexual Assault Is the Subject of a New University Study

A new study by researchers at Arizona State University and California State University at Los Angeles examines condom use during incidents of sexual assault. The researchers examined 841 sexual assault cases reported to police in Los Angeles and St. Louis. The results found that between 11 and 15 percent of offenders used a condom during the sexual assault. Younger perpetrators were more likely than older offenders to use condoms.

Offenders who used a weapon were more likely than other perpetrators to use a condom. The authors suggest that the use of a weapon offers the offender a greater deal of control over the situation and therefore using a condom becomes more likely.

Eryn Nicole O’Neal, a doctoral student in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University and a co-author of the study, stated, “Condoms are not being used during sexual assault and this is a major health concern for women. Given the low prevalence rates of condom use during sexual assault, advocates, medical personnel, and law enforcement need to know that there is a real threat of contracting an STI or becoming pregnant.”

The article was published on the website of the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine and may be accessed here. A video of O’Neal discussing the research can be viewed below.