A dominant view among researchers is that boys’ sexual interactions with adult men are traumatizing. In contrast, many gay men recall childhood sexual experiences with adult males as positive. The current study tested for both of these outcomes by examining recalled boyhood sexual experiences of older gay men. Interviews were conducted in the 1970–1980s, and thus, before the public view became popular that child–adult sexual interactions must be traumatizing. Quantitative analyses suggested that gay men with boyhood sexual experiences with adult males (n = 7, mostly aged 11–16 at first experience with men aged 20s to 50s) were as well adjusted as those without these experiences (n = 10), and these experiences were usually viewed positively (71%). Narrative analyses indicated that adjustment problems in adulthood were not related to these early sexual experiences but to other factors such as parental abusiveness, societal intolerance, internalized homophobia, or social isolation.

研究人员的一个主流观点是，男孩与成年男性的性互动是创伤性的。相比之下，许多男同性恋者回忆起童年时与成年男性的性经历是积极的。目前的研究通过检查老年男同性恋者回忆的童年性经历来测试这两种结果。采访是在 1970 年至 1980 年代进行的，因此，在公众认为儿童与成人的性互动一定是创伤性的公众观点之前。定量分析表明，与成年男性有童年性经历的男同性恋者 （n = 7，第一次与 20 至 50 岁的男性发生性关系时大多年龄在 11-16 岁） 与没有这些经历的男同性恋者 （n = 10） 一样适应，并且这些经历通常被积极看待 （71%）。叙述性分析表明，成年期的适应问题与这些早期性经历无关，而是与其他因素有关，例如父母虐待、社会不宽容、内化的同性恋恐惧症或社会孤立。