A recent study of 4702 young people aged from 18 to 35 has revealed new information about how common strangulation has become as a sexual practice.
The study was conducted by the Melbourne University Law School and The University of Queensland and has been published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.
The research found that young people call sexual strangulation “choking” and that:
- 57% had been strangled during sex at least once and 51% had strangled a partner at least once.
- The first time someone was strangled by a partner was usually between the ages of 19-21 (31%).
- More women (61%) than men (43%) reported ever being strangled.
- A very high proportion of people who identified as trans or gender-diverse (78%) reported ever being strangled.
- More men (59%) than women (40%) said that they had ever strangled their partners.
- Nearly three-quarters (74%) of trans and gender-diverse participants reported that they had strangled their partners.
- The most common way they found out about strangulation was pornography (61%), movies (40%), friends (32%), social media (31%) and discussions with current or potential partners (29%).
“We are concerned that the findings suggest that many young Australians may consent to strangulation during sex without understanding that it could seriously injure them,” said study co-author and Melbourne University Law School Professor Heather Douglas.
“It doesn’t matter if there are no apparent injuries, or whether the person consented,”
The report found that people can be injured quickly, with around:
- 10 seconds to being rendered unconscious
- 17 seconds to having a fit from lack of oxygen
- 30 seconds to loss of bowel control
- 150 seconds to death
“Brain injury can also be incremental – getting a bit worse with each choking - and the person may not know they have suffered a brain injury. The effects of repeated strangling are insidious and build over time, like the effects of repeated concussions on footballers,” she said.
Source: University of Melbourne https://www.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/july/study-finds-strangli…