Boys growing up in one-parent families are twice as likely to report sexual abuse as boys living in two-parent families, according to an article in the April issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

American researchers questioned 197 men in one urban area (Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania) about the makeup of their families, economic circumstances, and whether they had been sexually abused.

All men were between 18 and 49 years, and 186 (94 percent) had lived with at least one parent: Specifically, 76 men (39 percent) had lived with one parent, and 110 (56 percent) had lived with two parents.

Just under one third (29 percent) of those who had lived with one parent said they had been sexually abused compared with 16 percent of mean who had grown up in two-parent families.

Two different methods were applied to take account of social and economic factors in the results, but the results still pointed to a significant association between number of parents at home and risk for sexual abuse.

The responses also showed that men from one-parent families were more likely to be abused by someone who was female and someone who was not a relative (female baby-sitters were cited in several cases). Men from two-parent families were more likely to have been abused by someone who was male and someone who was a relative.

The authors suggested that because one-parent families may need more functional supports from adults outside the home that these boys may live in an environment with a higher potential for abuse.