Women attending the sexual assault treatment unit services in the Republic of Ireland: A 7-year review.

Abstract

Sexual assault is pervasive in today's society, with the numbers of those reporting it increasing. In Ireland, 50% of women will experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. We sought to describe the incident details of females presenting to the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU) network in the Republic of Ireland and to determine associations between incident characteristics and: (1) victim age, (2) presence of injury, (3) victim-perpetrator relationship, and (4) number of assailants. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of all females who attended between 2017 and 2023. Descriptive bivariate analysis was performed. There were 5942 female attendances, with an average age of 26 years. The largest age group was women between 18 and 25 years (38.1%, n = 2263). Forensic examinations were performed in 76.6% (n = 4549). Assailants were male in 92% (n = 5469) of incidents, with multiple assailants disclosed in 7.3% (n = 435). Strangers or recent acquaintances were the assailant in 38.5% (n = 2290) of incidents, and close associates in 22.9% (n = 1359). Incidents occurred at the survivor's home in 22% (n = 1306) of incidents, and in the assailant's home in 22.6% (n = 1342). Drug use within 24 h was reported in 15.1% (n = 897) of cases, and alcohol use in 72% (n = 4276). Drug-facilitated assault was suspected by 16.1% (n = 955). Injuries (genital and extra-genital) occurred in 30.3% (n = 1800) of attendances and were more likely to be seen in those who disclosed ingesting alcohol (Relative risk [RR] 1.325, P < 0.001) or drugs (RR 1.111, P = 0.04) in the 24 h preceding the incident, in those who presented within 24 h (RR 1.646, P < 0.001), those aged 18 years or older (RR 1.07, P = 0.003), and those where the incident occurred outdoors (RR 1.24, P < 0.001). This study, one of the largest on female attendances to a national SATU network, offers detailed insights into demographics, incident details, and circumstances. Most were young women, mainly 18 years and older, many of whom were full-time students. Forensic examinations were the primary reason for attendance, underscoring the network's key role in evidence collection. The study also identified factors linked to a higher risk of injury detection, such as immediate post-incident attendance, being over 18, outdoor incidents, perpetration by a stranger, and prior alcohol or drug use.