More than half of young people use “choking” during sex

More than half of young people use choking during sex, often unaware of the potentially serious health consequences.

The survey of 4,702 young people aged 18 to 35 found that 57 per cent had been strangled during intercourse at least once, and 51 per cent had strangled their partner at least once.

Strangulation causing serious injury is a crime in Australia.

Most people surveyed by Melbourne researchers did not know that even voluntary strangulation – often called “choking” – can be seriously harmful. And few knew it was a crime in their state or territory.

The study, conducted by researchers from the Faculty of Law at the University of Melbourne and the University of Queensland, was published in the journal Archive of sexual behavior.

The results show that for 31% of respondents, the first person to strangle them was a partner, and for 30%, the first person they ever strangled was a partner. This usually happened when they were between the ages of 19 and 21.

On average, people reported being strangled five times by three partners. And in the entire sample, only 6.3 percent reported both being strangled by a partner and having their partner choke them.

Men were more likely (59%) than women (40%) to admit to strangling their partner.

More women (61%) than men (43%) reported ever being the victim of strangulation.

Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of trans and gender nonconforming participants reported having choked their partners. And a high percentage of those who identified as trans or gender nonconforming (78 percent) reported having ever been choked.

Study co-author Professor Heather Douglas, from the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Law, said many young Australians consent to being choked during sex without realising the serious injuries it can cause.

“Choking a person during sex can cause brain damage, even when the person remains conscious. The more often people are choked, the more likely they are to suffer brain damage – including memory loss and difficulty solving problems – and the more severe the brain damage will be,” Professor Douglas said.

“It doesn’t matter if there are no visible injuries or if the person gave consent.”

“Brain injuries can also be gradual—getting worse with each choking incident—and a person may not know they have a brain injury. The effects of repeated choking are insidious and build over time, similar to the effects of repeated concussions in football players.”

Other injuries you may experience include: bruising, sore throat, neck pain, hoarseness, cough, difficulty swallowing, swollen lips, nausea, and vomiting.

More serious consequences include miscarriage and even death, both of which can occur weeks or months after the initial strangulation.

Studies estimate that a person can lose consciousness in about 10 seconds, can have a seizure due to lack of oxygen in about 17 seconds, can lose bowel control in about 30 seconds, and can die in about 150 seconds.

Professor Douglas says people cannot always rely on a ‘safe word’ or ‘safe gesture’ because the choking action may prevent the person from expressing a desire to stop choking.

“Previous research in the US has shown that many people respond to choking by freezing, a common response to trauma that prevents them from moving or speaking. This means that the person being choked may not be able to use a previously established ‘safe word’ or ‘safe gesture’ even if they want it to stop.”

The researchers recommend better community education about the physical risks of sexual asphyxiation and the importance of fully informed consent.

Good sources of information on suffocation include Women’s Health NSW’s free public resource called ‘It Left No Marks’ and the suffocation education campaign ‘Breathless’, which conveys the key message that there is no safe way to suffocate.

If you or someone you know is a victim of, or at risk of, domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au to use online chat or video calls.

If you have concerns about your behaviour or abuse, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit their website