Abstract

THE USE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AS A WEAPON IN MARRIAGE AND LEGAL SEPARATION: MALE CRISIS THEORY

Paul Andrew Bourne*, Angela Hudson-Davis, Charlene Sharpe-Pryce, Cynthia Francis, Ikhalfani Solan, Shirley Nelson, Monette George, Lecia Smith, Louise Brown

ABSTRACT

Introduction: There is a growing body of research regarding sexual assaults across the globe. However, limited literature exists regarding these types of assaults that all too frequently occur among married and separated couples. In Jamaica, this issues has risen to a public health crisis, however, there is little evidence that enough is being done to reduce or eliminate this problem. Objectives: The objectives are 1) To examine the relationship among the divorce rate, marriage rate, net international migration rate, and rape and carnal abuse rate; 2) To determine the extent of influence of each factor on rape and carnal abuse rate, and 3) To evaluate the changes in the patterns of divorce rate, marriage rate, net international migration rate, and rape and carnal abuse rate over a four-decade period. Materials and Methods: This research uses 44 years of panel data from 1970-2013. Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression was used to determine whether or not rape and carnal abuse rate as well as marriage and migration are factors of divorce as well as the strength of the relationship, using R2. Findings: Divorce and marriage rates are factors of rape and carnal abuse rate, contributing 54.0% of the variance in rape and carnal abuse rates in Jamaica, with divorce contributing 45.8% of the variability in rape and carnal abuse. Conclusion: This critical public health concern has revealed that sexual assault is best described by a male crisis theory and may be as a result of such factors as cultural or behavioural norms.

Keywords: Carnal abuse, couple, divorce, male crisis theory, marriage, rape, sexual abuse, sexual assault.