B Kennath Widanaralalage

King's College London | KCL · Department of Psychology

Research on men’s experiences of sexual victimization is limited and largely outdated. The present study seeks to remedy this issue by qualitatively examining the accounts of nine male-on-male survivors of rape and sexual abuse in the UK. It examines survivors’ experiences of psychological distress post-incident, the influence and manifestation of...

Whilst much is known about the psychosocial correlates of rape myth beliefs regarding female victims, much less research has investigated factors that underlie male rape myth beliefs. The aim of this study was therefore to examine the role of victim empathy and socio-demographics upon male rape myth beliefs. 303 UK adults aged 18 to 74 (M Age = 31....

Previous research has found widespread endorsement of rape mythology throughout global societies. A wide range of psychosocial variables are thought to underpin belief in rape myths, including psychopathic personality traits. However, among the limited studies that examine the relationship between psychopathy and rape myths contradictory findings f...

Sexual Violence against men has been significantly overlooked and under researched, with minimal attention paid to the influence of culture and ethnicity on survivors' experiences of abuse. This rapid review examines prevalence, disclosure, help-seeking, and criminal justice experiences of Black and Asian male survivors in the United Kingdom. Eight...

Background: Despite vast levels of underreporting, sexual assault remains an issue at scale in the UK, necessitating the presence of statutory and voluntary organisations in the support of victims. Understanding the experiences of all parties within this context is important for the resilience of support that can be provided at a systems level. Thi...

Purpose This study aims to investigate the experiences of service providers supporting male victims and female perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV). The study explored the drivers, methods and treatments of female-perpetrated IPV, the nature and impact of abuse towards male victims, the barriers and facilitators to service provision and...

The study of sexual violence has gained significant attention in policy and public discourse. Recent efforts have focused on understanding sexual violence as a reflection of societal inequalities, leading to the need for examining the intersectionality of sexual violence. Marginalised communities in England and Wales have experienced increased rate...

Background Sexual violence against men is an understudied issue, particularly among ethnic minority groups. This study explored how South Asian cultural norms shape disclosure and help-seeking for male survivors in the UK. Methods Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 South Asian ma...

Understanding of the role that attitudes and beliefs may play on the judgments people make about intimate partner violence (IPV) is becoming increasingly important, notably in the context of the criminal justice process and in recognising IPV as a public health issue. This study aims to investigate the importance of several established factors pred...

Substantial gaps remain in our understanding of the risks and barriers that exist for men affected by rape and sexual abuse. The present research utilized semi-structured interviews with 12 service providers from specialist organizations in the United Kingdom. An interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed three superordinate themes: (a) surv...

Male victims of sexual violence currently receive little attention in the UK, despite a growing number of men reporting sexual offences to the police and seeking psychological support for sexual trauma. Such issues are situated against a backdrop of substantial, gender-specific barriers for men around recognising, disclosing, and seeking support fo...

Cybercrimes are broadly defined as criminal activities carried out using computers or computer networks. Given the rapid and considerable shifts in Internet use and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cybercrime rates, online behaviours have attracted increased public and policy attention. In this article, we map the landscape of cybercrime in t...

Our commentary responds to claims made by DiMarco and colleagues in an article published in this journal that the majority of victims of rape are men and that 80% of those who rape men are women. Although we strongly believe that studying male sexual victimization is a highly important research and policy endeavour, we have concerns with the approa...

Attrition, or the ‘dropping out’ of rape cases from the criminal justice process remains a persistent and troubling issue; despite several governmental and academic reviews and interventions designed to address myriad challenges identified. It is argued in this chapter, that this lack of success is perhaps partially due to a disconnect, or lack of...

Male-on-male rape remains an under-researched area, and little is known about the characteristics and outcomes of this type of crime. This study examines 122 rape cases involving young adult and adult male victims reported to the London Metropolitan Police Service between 2005 and 2012. Overall, there were a number of similarities with cases involv...