IJCM_356A: Psychiatric evaluation of alleged sexual assault perpetrators in a tertiary care hospital in Southern Odisha: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Sexual violence is defined as a range of behaviours, including nonconsensual sexual acts(e.g., rape), attempted non-consensual sexual acts or abusive sexual contact(e.g., unwanted touching),and noncontact sexual abuse(e.g.,threatened sexual violence or verbal sexual harassment). A psychiatric evaluation should not only be important in clinical but also in medicolegal field, for better understanding of psychological characteristics of an offender and making risk assessment of future offending behaviour. Objectives : 1. To study the socio-demographic profile of alleged sexual assault perpetrator presenting to FMT Department of MKCG, MCH Berhampur. 2. To evaluate their psychiatric co-morbidities and find any significant association. Methodology: A cross-sectional study has been conducted in the Department of FMT, MKCG, MCH, Berhampur, Odisha, within a period of 1 year. Using convenience sampling 169 perpetrators of sexual assault were selected. For data collection semi-structured questionnaire and Mini-5 scale was used. Results : Mean age was 45.3 ± 8.2years,78.9 % were unmarried,26.6 % were illiterate. Around 57.8% were unemployed,78.9 % had past history of substance abuse, antisocial personality disorder was seen in 71.05%. Psychotic disorder was seen in 65.7%, alcohol abuse and dependence was seen in 71.05%,substance dependence was seen in 52.6%. Significant association was seen with anti-social personality disorder, Psychotic disorder, alcohol abuse and substance abuse dependence in the perpetrators of sexual assault. Conclusion: From the present study, it was implicated that, mental health co-morbidities are one of the major contributing factors for the criminal behaviour of the perpetrators for sexual assault. Hence all the cases of sexual assaults have to be properly screened out and councelled by the mental health professionals to prevent criminality in the society.