An Australian-first study into the prevalence of strangulation during sex among young people has prompted concerns over the serious health risks.Experts say more conversations need to be happening in schools and at home to raise awareness around the risks, and the factors contributing to its normalisation.While the 25-year-old had been able to rebuff their attempts, she says the experiences left her feeling panicked.
"This group of people that we're looking at now is a context where the people engaging in sexual strangulation are largely saying that they're consenting to the practice," said Heather Douglas, a professor at Melbourne University Law School and co-author of the study."About three years ago, I started to hear much more frequently that strangulation was part of what was happening in young people's sexual lives," Ms Crabbe told 7.30.
"A lot of the people in our study said that they'd seen pornography in their teens, some quite young. So obviously this is an issue for parents as well in terms of engaging with the effects of pornography, the dangers of strangulation, how to broach those kinds of topics with their kids," Ms Douglas said."Some of them talk about not really being into it, there being an expectation, sometimes being asked by their partners to do it," Ms Crabbe said.
Jo Ann Parkin from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine says choking during sex can cause brain injuries like concussion, even if it's not apparent, and signs of non-fatal strangulation can also evolve."Absence of oxygen being supplied to the brain will affect things such as concentration, memory, decision-making, and we're waiting for more research in that particular area," Dr Parkin said.
"And what we are hearing from our victims when they present in these settings is they were unable to indicate that in that situation.