Stealthing: Nonconsensual condom removal in same-sex and opposite-sex intimate relationships

Abstract

Objective: Stealthing, or nonconsensual condom removal, occurs when a man engages in sexual intercourse without a condom, without his partner’s knowledge. Our goal was to examine occurrence and perceptions of stealthing, contextual details surrounding stealthing, and risk factors for perpetrators and victims in both heterosexual relationships and among men who have sex with men (MSM). Method: A sample of 444 participants (202 men and 242 women) were recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk for an anonymous survey. Results: Overall, 19% of men had perpetrated stealthing, and all had more than one victim, half of whom never found out that stealthing occurred. Meanwhile, 24% of women and 35% of MSM indicated they knew they had been victims of stealthing at least once. Compared to other participants, male stealthing perpetrators had the most accepting views of stealthing and scored highest on the measures of partner violence and control, avoidant attachment, anxious attachment, antisocial personality, and borderline personality. In comparisons of victims to nonvictims, male victims reported the most violence and control in their romantic relationships and endorsed more symptoms of depression and anxiety than any other victim or nonvictim group. Conclusions: Stealthing may be a relatively common phenomenon perpetrated most often by a subset of men with notable relationship and psychological problems. Increased public awareness of stealthing is important, especially considering its prevalence and the potential for adverse outcomes. Additionally, interventions should target both perpetrators’ lenient views of stealthing and victims’ psychological and physical consequences.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2024

Publication Title

Psychology of Violence

First Page

117

Last Page

126

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