Heightened intimate partner violence and sexual risk taking among male military sexual assault survivors.

OBJECTIVE: Military samples are a priority for sexual health interventions. Military sexual assault (MSA) exposure may increase risk for sexual risk taking, particularly among male survivors. Previous research indicates that intimate partner violence (IPV) is more strongly associated with negative behavioral health outcomes in male MSA survivors than their female counterparts, suggesting that there may be a similar association between IPV and sexual risk taking. The present study hypothesized that sex would significantly moderate a positive relationship between overall IPV exposure and sexual risk taking, such that it would be stronger for male survivors. IPV subdomains of psychological aggression, sexual coercion, and physical assault were also examined. METHOD: Using data from a survey of MSA survivors collected in 2021 (N = 346; 50.9% male), sexual risk taking was regressed on overall IPV (or the IPV domains), sex, and their interaction. RESULTS: The interaction between overall IPV and sex was statistically significant, B = 0.19 (SE = .07), p = .006, such that the overall IPV was positively associated with sexual risk taking for both sexes, but the effect was stronger for male survivors, B = 0.36 (SE = .05), p < .001, relative to female survivors, B = 0.17 (SE = .05), p = .001. Associations of psychological aggression, sexual coercion, and physical assault with sexual risk taking were significantly moderated by sex such that they were only significant for male survivors. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight unique outcomes military male survivors face and point to a need for including these survivors in future investigations of MSA and IPV. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).