Psychosocial and emotional characteristics were assessed in a nonclinical sample of 1,385 adolescent Mexican-American and white non-Hispanic males. The study compared 54 males who reported being sexually assaulted to 1,331 males who reported no history of sexual assault. The sexual assault victims were more emotionally distressed, socially isolated, deviant (e.g., lying and stealing), likely to affiliate with deviant peers, and to come from homes in which there was parental substance use, than males who did not report sexual assault. There were no significant differences between Mexican-American and white non-Hispanic assault victims. Although it is clear from this study that males who are sexually victimized report more maladjustment, findings may be limited by issues related to measurement, underreporting and interpretations of sexual assault by victims. For example, boys coerced by a neighbor into engaging in sexual behavior may not define this as rape, viewing rape as a violent act that is only done to a woman by a stranger. Tables, references