John Fenaughty

Sexual Coercion Among Gay and Bisexual Men in Aotearoa/New Zealand

Until recently, sexual coercion among gay men has been regarded as virtually oxymoronic. Discourses of male sexuality as ever-present and driven, and discourses of masculinity that portray men as in control and invulnerable, converge to almost disavow the possibilities that sex could be unwanted by men, or that men could be vulnerable to being pressured into sex against their will. This article reports on interviews with 19 gay and bisexual men about their experiences of forced, coerced, or unwanted sex. We identified four general patterns in these accounts: (1) incidents involving physical force; (2) experiences in which a mans ability to refuse sex was compromised by intoxication; (3) dynamics where young and inexperienced men were coerced or pressured into unwanted sex; and (4) situations in which men felt obligated to engage in unwanted sex. Specific issues included barriers to reporting sexual assault, power dynamics in intergenerational sex, and the difficulty of refusing unwanted sex. Importantly, many of the factors identified as driving sexual coercion relate not to gay sexuality per se, but rather to masculine sexuality. Conversely, some of the factors relating to mens vulnerability to coercion were exacerbated by some features of gay sexual culture; in particular those aspects associated with existing in a marginalized territory within a wider heteronormative context.

Factors associated with young people's successful resolution of distressing electronic harassment

Electronic harassment is a pervasive phenomenon among young people, however relatively little is known about actions that targets of harassment may undertake to manage such abuse, and whether particular actions and personal characteristics are associated with successful resolution of such harassment. This mixed methods research identified whether particular actions or characteristics are associated with the resolution of distressing electronic harassment situations. Study one used focus groups interviews with 36 New Zealand (NZ) students (aged 13-15) to explore strategies used to manage electronic harassment. Study two drew on these findings, in conjunction with literature reviews, to construct a questionnaire delivered to 1673 students (aged 12-19). Over half of participants used more than one strategy to try and resolve the abuse. Ignoring abuse was the most popular strategy, followed by confronting and fighting strategies. However, multivariate logistic regression showed ignoring did not predict resolution, and nor did received adult or family support. However a sense of efficacy in approaching adults did predict resolution. The quality of intervention, rather than the type of intervention per se, seems to be critical in the successful resolution harassment. Reflecting on both studies we suggest the need to increase young peoples confidence in actively dealing with harassment as well as supporting adults and peers to provide effective support.

Unsafe, unwanted: sexual coercion as a barrier to safer sex among men who have sex with men.

Individual and focus group interviews with a total of 40 gay and bisexual men, as well as with 23 community and/or professional key informants, highlighted that sexual coercion is an important, yet under-recognized, barrier to the practice of safer sex among men who have sex with men. In this article we discuss how the dynamics of sexual coercion, including subtle forms, can operate to compromise men’s ability to practise safer sex, leading men to have sex that is both unsafe and unwanted.

Mental Health Status of Double Minority Adolescents: Findings from National Cross-Sectional Health Surveys

Little population-based work has been published about the mental health of adolescents with both sexual/gender (SG) and ethnic minority (i.e. double minority) status. This study aimed to provide an overview on their mental health. Analysis of data from a total of 17,607 high school students from New Zealand’s 2007 and 2012 cross-sectional nationally representative Adolescent Health Surveys, including a total of 1306 (7.4%) SG minority participants, of whom 581 (3.3%) were also an ethnic minority. SG minority status, minority ethnicity, and female sex were associated with higher mental distress and poorer well-being. Generally speaking, double minority students reported poorer mental health than SG majority students of the same ethnicity, but reported better mental health than SG minority New Zealand European students. Explanations and future directions for research were suggested to further explore how double minority students negotiate mental health in the context of their communities/cultures in New Zealand.

Downwards trends in adolescent risk-taking behaviours in New Zealand: Exploring driving forces for change: Adolescent risk-taking trends

Downwards trends in adolescent risk-taking behaviours in New Zealand: Exploring driving forces for change Sonia Lewycka ,* Terryann Clark, Roshini Peiris-John, John Fenaughty, Pat Bullen, Simon Denny and Theresa Fleming† Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, School of Nursing, School of Population Health, Department of Paediatrics, Child and Youth Health, Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, and Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand