Exploring hypermasculinity as a moderator between sexual violence victimization and adverse mental health effects among sentenced incarcerated men

Sexual assault is a common occurrence among incarcerated men in correctional facilities, and severely impacts the psychological well-being of the victim. We explored hypermasculinity as a moderator between sexual violence (SV) victimization and consequent mental health outcomes (prototypic and masculine depression, alcohol use and drug use) among incarcerated men in Tshwane, South Africa. A convenience sample of 160 incarcerated men self-completed two questionnaires: Questionnaire 1, completed during their incarceration, included themes such as demographics, incarceration-related characteristics, and involvement in physical fighting, and Questionnaire 2, completed at least two months post their release from incarceration, included themes such as demographics, gang affiliation, hypermasculinity, SV victimization, misuse of substances and/or alcohol, prototypic depression and masculine depression. Descriptive analyses were conducted to examine sample characteristics. Associations between variables were examined with Pearson’s correlational analysis while the moderation effect was tested with the SPSS PROCESS macro software. Hypermasculinity had a significant moderation effect on SV victimization and prototypic depression. Post hoc probing analyses showed a significant negative relationship between SV victimization and prototypic depression among men who highly endorsed hypermasculinity, but no significant relationship was observed among those who endorsed hypermasculinity at low or average levels. The moderation effect of hypermasculinity was not statistically significant for SV victimization and masculine depression, alcohol use and drug use. Men who were high in hypermasculinity had a decreased likelihood of prototypic depression despite having been sexually victimized. Interventions that address SV-related mental health outcomes should take into account the role of masculine ideals in SV-related psychological reactions among incarcerated men or men with a history of incarceration.