Rape trauma

Sexual violence against men has been significantly overlooked, and under-researched, with minimal attention paid to the influence of culture and ethnicity on survivors' experiences of abuse. This rapid review examines prevalence, disclosure, help-seeking, and criminal justice experiences of Black and Asian male survivors in the United Kingdom. Eight empirical studies published since 2003 involving Black and Asian sexual violence survivors were included through comprehensive database searches, including gray literature and reference lists...

Background: Research indicates refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), particularly females, have a higher incidence of mental health problems compared to the global norm for conflict-affected populations. Objective: This study aimed to unpack gender differences in the mental health of Congolese refugees by examining specific risk (trauma exposure, adaptation challenges, and discrimination) and protective factors (marital status, literacy, and social resources) in relation to posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depression...

This study focused on raped women's perceptions of their encounters with Swedish police, with a specific focus on quality of encounters, trust, questions asked during police interviews, and perceptions of justice. One hundred and six rape victims, 74 of whom had reported to the police, answered a web-based questionnaire. Results show that where officers explained their line of questioning the perceived intrusiveness of the questioning was lower, as was the level of perceived victim-blaming. Higher quality police encounters were associated with higher trust in the legal system and in police work, and with higher levels of received justice...

Worldwide, sexual violence is a significant public health issue. Although any person can be victimized, the vast majority of sexual violence is perpetrated by men against women. Research has increasingly explored the experiences of victims, however, the perspectives of male perpetrators of sexual violence have largely been sidelined. This limits the ability to design effective public health and policy responses to sexual violence. Our aim was to synthesize the available peer-reviewed qualitative research exploring the perspectives of adult male perpetrators of sexual violence against women...

Individuals with paraphilic interests in sexual violence or children may be more likely to sexually offend if they possess offense-supportive cognitions. These cognitions may develop in response to childhood adversity. However, this idea is largely based on research in men convicted of sexual offenses and may not generalize to non-incarcerated adults with paraphilic interests. In a sample of 178 adults screened for paraphilic interests in violence or children (from the general Czech population), we hypothesized that childhood sexual abuse and emotional neglect would be associated with offense-supportive cognitions about rape and child molestation...

Sexual minoritized (SM) adults experience health disparities and report higher rates of trauma history compared to heterosexual adults. This scoping review synthesizes the extant literature that investigates associations between trauma and physical health among SM adults. It also describes research instruments utilized to assess trauma in relation to health outcomes among SM adults. We searched CINAHL, LGBT+ Life, PsycINFO, and PubMed to identify studies meeting inclusion criteria: peer-reviewed, English, assessed trauma as an independent variable, and assessed health behaviors or outcomes among SM adults...

Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) is an evidence-based yoga protocol and approach used for somatic trauma care. Seven women participated in a 12-week TCTSY-integrated peer support group for sexual violence survivors at a community rape crisis center. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted: interview 1 at 1-2 months post-group, interview 2 at 8-9 months post-group, and interview 3 at 24-33 months post-group. Thematic analysis was conducted following Clandinin and Connelly's three-dimensional space approach...

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Amendment Act, 2021, contains some progressive changes. However, survivors of rape will continue to go through mental as well as physical trauma to secure an abortion. We argue that the MTP Amendment Act, 2021, fails to address the rights of rape survivors adequately.

An employer owes every employee a duty to take all reasonable steps to provide a safe place and system of work. Whether an employer will be liable for psychological harm suffered by an employee will depend on the particular circumstances of the case. In Kozarov v Victoria (2022) 273 CLR 115; [2022] HCA 12 (Kozarov), the High Court considered whether the Victorian Office of Public Prosecutions had been placed on notice of a risk of "vicarious trauma" to a solicitor employed in the Special Sexual Offenders Unit and whether it was required to make a response by taking active steps including offering a rotation to another section where the solicitor did not to have to manage cases of child rape and other sexual offences of gross depravity...

BACKGROUND: Vaginal fistula (VF) affects 2-3 million women globally, with the majority in Africa. In Uganda, it's 2%, with western Uganda having the highest prevalence. Major predisposing factors for refugee women include health system breakdowns and sexual violence during conflict. VF has severe consequences for women, relatives, and communities. There's limited information on lived experiences among refugee women with VF, and there's a need for quality prevention, treatment, and social reintegration strategies...

Sexual violence is a very underdetected public health problem, with important short and long-term consequences on physical, mental, social, sexual and reproductive health, which must be taken into account by health services. Health systems are part of the set of resources necessary for a comprehensive approach from the ecological model: prevention and promotion of healthy sexuality with equality, adequate and coordinated care in the event of sexual assault and subsequent support to prevent sequelae. All sexual violence has health consequences, even those that may seem less serious such as sexual harassment or sexual cyberviolence...

BACKGROUND: Sexual violence is prevalent on college campuses, yet formal disclosure and open dialogue are often muffled. Social media has become a powerful platform for survivors and presents an opportunity for researchers to explore social discourse surrounding sexual violence on campuses. Healthcare providers must be knowledgeable of campus climate surrounding sexual violence to provide patient-centered, trauma-informed care and mitigate the detrimental, long-term effects experienced by survivors...

BACKGROUND: Sexual assault (SA) is a serious crime that is a prevalent mental and public health problem. AIMS: Addressing the needs of SA victims and providing appropriate treatment are essential to reduce potential adverse short- and long-term outcomes. METHODS: Our team undertook an extensive systematic literature review (published between January 2006 and July 2021) to provide evidence-based mental health intervention recommendations for adolescent and adult victims of SA...

BACKGROUND: Women are a growing portion of the U.S. veteran population, and every year the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) serves an increasing number of women seeking obstetrics services. Women veterans experience elevated rates of anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and traumatic events, including military sexual trauma, as compared with women in the general population. It is possible that mental health disorders may be associated with birth experiences. OBJECTIVES: We investigated the link between anxiety, depression, PTSD, and military sexual trauma (MST; i...

Background/Objective: Using two different high-risk samples, the present study compared and contrasted two different strategies/questionnaire types for assessing a history of sexual violence: a general trauma screening vs. specialised behaviourally-specific questionnaires. Methods: Sample 1 included 91 men and women seeking detoxification treatment services in a publicly funded, urban clinic who completed a trauma and substance use questionnaire battery during treatment. Sample 2 included 310 women at a rural college who completed a trauma and religious coping questionnaire battery for course credit...

In the United States alone, 10 million people are affected by family and domestic violence (DV). DV survivors experience many forms of victimization, including physical, psychological, and sexual abuse resulting in trauma. The DV workforce, including healthcare providers, social workers, advocates, and other providers, utilize trauma-informed care in a variety of settings to help DV survivors heal and recover from their traumatic experiences. Given the intensity of DV work and occupational stressors associated with navigating complex survivor cases and systems of care, health and mental health professionals can experience burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress...

In a drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA), the person's level of intoxication may result in incomplete memory. This paper describes eye movement and desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) with client-centered adaptations to address an incomplete trauma memory in a 26-year-old woman. The client was experiencing PTSD, characterized by nightmares and derealization. Therapy followed standard EMDR procedures with three minor modifications to help the client maintain current awareness. Although the memory remained incomplete, the client-centered adaptations promoted working through of the clients' trauma responses (e...

BACKGROUND: One in five women in the UK are survivors of rape and sexual assault, and four in five women will give birth. This implies that a substantial number of women experience rape and sexual assault before pregnancy. We highlight and explore the voices and lived experiences of survivors during pregnancy and birth, to better understand the relationship between sexual violence, biomedicine, and pregnancy and to inform maternity care practice. METHODS: This qualitative research took an intersectional feminist approach...

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a pervasive public health issue that harms victims. Bystanders' interventions are crucial in preventing the risks of GBV; however, numerous barriers impede their willingness and behaviors to intervene. As a part of efforts to thwart these barriers, this study used a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify such barriers and assess their impact on bystanders' engagement to intervene. The researchers explored academic databases and included 38 studies in the analysis; we extracted and coded the identified barriers (e...

Trauma exposure is prevalent globally and is a defining event for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), characterised by intrusive thoughts, avoidance behaviours, hypervigilance and negative alterations in cognition and mood. Exposure to trauma elicits a range of physiological responses which can interact with environmental factors to confer relative risk or resilience for PTSD. This systematic review summarises the findings of longitudinal studies examining biological correlates predictive of PTSD symptomology...