Experiences Of Sexual Violence Research Articles

The impact of the experience of Sexual Violence on female sexual dysfunction

Purpose Sexual violence is among the most violent crimes that may occur against individuals. Such crimes have long-term effects on victims and usually cause physical and psychological harm. Accordingly, in the present study, the predictive role of Sexual Violence on Women’s sexual dysfunctions was investigated. Methodology In a descriptive-analytic study through simple random sampling, 140 women were selected. The research instrument was the Female Sexual Dysfunctional Detection Inventory (FSDDI). SPSS-19 software was used to analyze the data. Findings The results showed that women with sexual violence history had higher mean scores. Moreover, sexual pain disorder and sexual dissatisfaction were predicted by the variable sexual violence history (P ˂ 0.001). So, the history of sexual violence in women could lead to sexual dysfunctions in the future and affect the lack of sexual satisfaction.

Water Disappearing into Water: Healing Male Victims of Sexual Violence

This research paper presents key aspects of the experiences of Chinese male people who identify as sexual assault victims. The paper will also focus on the impacts of their experiences on their livelihoods. Using aspects of law, sex education, and psychological counseling as a lens, the report refers to domestic and foreign sexual assault reports and related policies and documents to explore the potential reasons for an observed lack of support for male victims of sexual assault. It then interprets and synthesizes the results and provides potential solutions. For a period of twenty years, data were collected from multiple sources, including books, journals, and online media. It is worth noting that cases of rape and defilement among men are less likely to be reported than cases involving women. Despite this, male victims of sexual assault are not uncommon, but society, for various reasons, evades the issue. The fact that male sexual violence is not adequately acknowledged and addressed by Chinese society not only affects those who identify as having lived experiences of sexual violence but also leads to larger social problems, such as alienation of oneself from society and dysfunctional social structures. It is, therefore, imperative to find solutions that address the needs of these men. This article proposes action in three areas: to adjust the legal scope of rape and the identification of individuals who need help; to improve the quality of sexual education with regards to its content, deliverance, and accessibility; and to strengthen and regulate professional counseling services, and providing access to competent psychological services through the Chinese health insurance system.

Sexual violence amongst rural women living with HIV: prevalence, forms and lived experiences at health facilities in southwestern Uganda

Introduction: sexual violence exists in different forms and contexts. It has different consequences including HIV/AIDS. There is limited information on the adoption of services to the victims. In this study, we investigated the prevalence, forms and personal experiences of sexual violence amongst women living with HIV/AIDS in rural southwestern Uganda.

Editors’ Introduction

Sexual violence against men and boys in conflict and displacement has garnered increasing attention over the past decade and has been recognised in UN Security Resolution 2467. Despite increased evidence and understanding of the issue, myths and misconceptions nevertheless abound. The authors of this article – practitioners and academics with extensive experience in the field – aim to dispel ten of the most common misconceptions that we have encountered, and to highlight the current evidence base regarding sexual violence against men and boys in humanitarian settings. We argue that just as there is no universal experience of sexual violence for women and girls, there is no universal experience for men and boys, or for nonbinary people. In order to address the complexities of these experiences, a survivor-centred, intersectional approach is needed.

Experience of sexual violence and satisfaction with life: a 20-year prospective cohort study

ABSTRACT This Danish prospective cohort study assessed associations between exposure to any kind of sexual violence (SV), exposure to labelled SV (self-labelled as rape, sexual abuse, or incest), and satisfaction with life (SWL) in young adulthood (approximately 32 years) (N = 688) and at midlife (up-to-20 years later) (n = 230). Data are from the Prenatal Development Project (a subsample of the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort). Nearly 20% of participants reported experiencing some kind of SV before young adulthood. Exposure to any kind of SV before young adulthood was not significantly associated with the initial SWL assessment or with SWL at the up to 20-year follow-up. However, exposure to SV participants labelled as rape, incest, and/or serious sexual abuse was significantly associated with lower SWL during young adulthood but not at the midlife follow-up. These results could indicate that exposure to SV may not severely influence SWL over the long term.

Barriers to Help-Seeking for Sexual Violence Among Married or Cohabiting Women in Ghana.

While sexual violence against women has gained attention in sub-Saharan Africa, research examining help-seeking remains limited. Scholarship on barriers to help-seeking among sexually abused married or cohabiting women is particularly lacking. We used the barriers model and held 15 in-depth interviews with sexually abused Ghanaian married or cohabiting women to examine help-seeking behaviors. Participants identified multiple barriers to help-seeking, including financial difficulties, lack of social support, and stigma. The results corroborate the barriers model's formulation of the challenges faced by female survivors in reporting violence. They indicate the need to improve laws to promote help-seeking among women with experiences of sexual violence.

The Borders of Personal and Political: Argumentative Analysis of a (Possible) Sexual Harassment Case in the “#MeToo Era”

Facilitated by the widespread use of the communication tool #MeToo, the online public space has been opening up to survivor stories and is providing interpersonal emotional support to individuals with experiences of sexual harassment or violence. Witnessing the widespread and collective demand for de-stigmatised survivor-centred and empowering approaches to violence, the scholarly community has been discussing these events as the example of (feminist) counter-publics with counter-narratives, or as the “transformative politics of visibility”. This case study contemplates the reactionary forces, focusing on negotiating discursive practices which aim to resist (feminist) counter-narratives in the Slovak online environment. We wish to enrich the existing literature by drawing on the developing scholarship of discourse analysis studies in the “#MeToo era” and by looking at the argumentative strategies applied by the discussants with regards to one (potential) case of sexual harassment. We do so by proposing to treat the interpretative frameworks of the discussants as stemming from experiences with dominant media narratives, and as being built around the discursive negotiations of “public-private space” and “personalpolitical issues”, well-known to feminist theorisations of sexual harassment and violence since the 1970s.

Alcohol use at the intersection of sexual orientation and gender identity in a representative sample of youth in Colorado.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) youth are at greater risk of problematic alcohol use than their heterosexual peers, yet there is a dearth of research examining variability in alcohol use among youth that simultaneously accounts for sexual orientation and gender identity. This paper examines the relationship between alcohol use and intersecting identities of sexual orientation and gender while accounting for this population's disproportionate experiences of depression and dating and sexual violence. The study used a representative sample (n = 27,621) of high school students. Logistic regressions were used to determine if earlier age at first drink, 30-day alcohol use, and binge drinking were significantly related to intersectional sexual orientation and gender identity. Secondary models added depression, dating violence, and sexual violence to analyses to determine if they explained any of the variancein alcohol use variables in LGBQ and transgender youth. Transgender youth who identified as heterosexual or questioningtheir sexual orientation were at greatest risk for early initiation of alcohol use and binge drinking. These relationships between intersectional identity and alcohol use became nonsignificant when depression, dating violence, and sexual violence were added to the models. This is the first study to examine relationships between intersecting identities of sexual orientation and gender identity and alcohol use among youth. Risky alcohol use among transgender youth may be attributed to experiences of depression, dating violence, and sexual violence impacting these populations. Interventions should focus on reducing transgender youth exposure to violence.

Factors associated with female students' past year experience of sexual violence in South African public higher education settings: A cross-sectional study.

BackgroundIntimate partner sexual violence and non-partner rape experiences are widely reported by female students in South African higher education institutions, as they are globally. However, limited research has focused on investigating vulnerability factors, which is vital for informing interventions.ObjectiveTo describe the factors and inter-relationships associated with female students’ increased vulnerability to past year experience of partner sexual violence and non-partner rape in South African higher education settings.MethodsWe interviewed 1293 female students, i.e., 519 students in six Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college campuses and 774 students at three university campuses. Participants were volunteers aged 18–30. The measured vulnerability factors included childhood sexual abuse, other trauma, mental ill-health, risky sexual behaviours, food insecurity, partner violence, and controlling behaviours. We used bivariate analysis, logistic regression, and structural equation modelling methods.ResultsTwenty percent of participants experienced past-year sexual violence (17% partner sexual violence and 7.5% non-partner rape). Childhood sexual abuse had direct effects on experiencing past year sexual violence and physical, emotional partner violence or controlling behaviours. Risky sexual behaviours mediated the relationships of childhood sexual abuse or harmful alcohol use and past-year sexual violence experience. Mental ill-health mediated the relationships between childhood sexual abuse, other traumatic exposures, food insecurity, physical, emotional partner violence or controlling behaviours, and past-year partner sexual violence or non-partner rape experience.ConclusionsRisky sexual behaviours, gender inequitable relationship dynamics, mental ill-health, and food insecurity are related and amenable vulnerability factors associated with female students’ sexual violence experiences. Therefore, addressing these through comprehensive campus interventions, which are implemented when students first enrol in higher education and are most vulnerable to sexual violence, is critical. Society-wide sexual violence prevention is also imperative.

Effects of Government-Implemented Cash Plus Model on Violence Experiences and Perpetration Among Adolescents in Tanzania, 2018‒2019.

Objectives. To examine the impacts of a government-implemented cash plus program on violence experiences and perpetration among Tanzanian adolescents. Methods. We used data from a cluster randomized controlled trial (n = 130 communities) conducted in the Mbeya and Iringa regions of Tanzania to isolate impacts of the "plus" components of the cash plus intervention. The panel sample comprised 904 adolescents aged 14 to 19 years living in households receiving a government cash transfer. We estimated intent-to-treat impacts on violence experiences, violence perpetration, and pathways of impact. Results. The plus intervention reduced female participants' experiences of sexual violence by 5 percentage points and male participants' perpetration of physical violence by 6 percentage points. There were no intervention impacts on emotional violence, physical violence, or help seeking. Examining pathways, we found positive impacts on self-esteem and participation in livestock tending and, among female participants, a positive impact on sexual debut delays and a negative effect on school attendance. Conclusions. By addressing poverty and multidimensional vulnerability, integrated social protection can reduce violence. Public Health Implications. There is high potential for scale-up and sustainability, and this program reaches some of the most vulnerable and marginalized adolescents. (Am J Public Health. 2021;111(12):2227-2238. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306509).

Opening closed doors: using machine learning to explore factors associated with marital sexual violence in a cross-sectional study from India

ObjectivesSexual violence against women is pervasive in India. Most of this violence is experienced in the context of marriage, and rates of marital sexual violence (MSV) have been relatively stagnant...

Serotonin system-associated genetic and epigenetic changes in pedophilia and child sexual offending

Numerous studies have shown associations between anomalies of the serotonergic system and impulsive behavior, depression, or traumatic life events. However, it is currently unknown, whether pedophilia or child sexual offending (CSO) is also related to alterations of the serotonergic system. Using a two by two factorial paradigm within a multisite consortium (NeMUP*) study cohort, we analyzed whether the SLC6A4-linked polymorphic region (SLC6A4LPR) or the SLC6A4 (transporter) and HTR3A (receptor) promotor methylation rates differed with regard to a pedophilic preference and/or child sexual offending. Methylation rates of HTR3A showed significant differences between child sexual offenders and non-offenders, with child sexual offenders showing lower methylation rates. Moreover, HTR3A methylation rates showed significant negative correlations with the Child Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) subscale “sexual violence”, and the number of sexual offenses committed. Interestingly, we also found pedophilia-related alterations in 5HT3A as well as SLC6A4 methylation rates. For HTR3A we detected significant higher methylation rates in subjects with a pedophilic sexual preference, whereas for SLC6A4 methylation rates were reduced, indicating a possible downregulation of the serotonergic system in total. Although there were no significant group differences concerning the SLC6A4LPR, we found a significant correlation of the SLC6A4 methylation rate with this polymorphism in pedophilia. The present study suggests an involvement of epigenetic alterations of the serotonergic system in pedophilia and child sexual offending as well as own experience of sexual violence. While such an environmental factor may account for the epigenetic changes seen in child sexual offending, this was not seen in pedophilia. These findings will hopefully inspire further research in this underinvestigated field which should aim at validating and extending these initial results.

'On My Own': the Exploitation of Street-involved Children on the Rapidly Changing Thai-Cambodian Border

The effects of regional and national conflicts often have pronounced impacts on the psychosocial and socioeconomic development of children, not only for those who directly experience conflict, but also for subsequent generations. The city of Poipet, which runs along the Thai-Cambodian border, has been in a unique position to observe these effects. From the refugee camps on the Thai side of the border in the 1980s, through the writing of Cambodia's constitution in the 1990s, to the long period of recovery in which the areas have become synonymous with unsafe migration, trafficking, and various forms of exploitation.<br/> The data shows that children who crossed the border for work demonstrated a heightened risk to physical and sexual violence. Gender was also found to be a considerable risk factor for street-involved children, with boys twice as likely as girls to disclose experiences of physical violence, and four times as likely to disclose experiences of sexual violence. Despite this, neither males nor females perceived sexual violence as a danger for males.<br/> This research draws on primary data collected from 80 street-involved Cambodian children living and/or working along the Thai-Cambodian border area of Poipet and Aranyaprathet and offers an initial analysis of their key experiences, perspectives, and vulnerabilities.

Who do They Tell? College Students' Formal and Informal Disclosure of Sexual Violence, Sexual Harassment, Stalking, and Dating Violence by Gender, Sexual Identity, and Race.

Disclosure of interpersonal violence (i.e., sexual violence, sexual harassment, dating violence, and stalking) is often the first step toward receiving social and systemic support. Research demonstrates that sexual assault and dating violence survivors on college campuses are more likely to disclosure to informal sources (i.e., friends and family) than formal sources (e.g., police, Title IX, counseling centers). However, there is limited research examining disclosure rates after other forms of violence (i.e., stalking, sexual harassment), and little is known about the impact of the survivors' identities on disclosure. Utilizing four academic years (2016-2019) of aggregated campus climate data from a large Southeastern university, the current study examined rates of disclosure across experiences of sexual violence, sexual harassment, dating violence, and stalking while identifying whether the prevalence and type of disclosure (formal versus informal-only) differed by gender, sexual orientation, and/or race/ethnicity. Of 8,017 participants, 4.6% reported sexual violence, 18.9% reported sexual harassment, 12.3% reported dating violence, and 11.3% reported stalking in the past academic year. Results of multinomial logistic regression indicated that, across all four types of violence, men (as compared to women) had lower odds of disclosing both informally-only and formally. Bisexual as compared to heterosexual students had higher odds of formal disclosure of sexual harassment and stalking while gay/lesbian students had higher odds of formally disclosing sexual harassment. Individuals of another race/ethnicity (compared to White students) had lower odds of informal-only disclosure of dating violence. Findings underscore the need to implement programs to improve the social reactions of friends and family members receiving disclosures, and to increase culturally-tailored service provision.

Athlete victims of sexual violence: links to conformity to the sport ethic

In research, various reasons have been proposed to be able to understand the occurrence of sexual violence in sport. This article examines the relationships between conformity to the sport ethic norms and sexual violence among young athletes, according to sex and type of sport (individual and team). Athletes (n = 1140) from Quebec, Canada aged 13–18 years responded to an online questionnaire, which included two validated tools: a measure of conformity to the sport ethic norms (i.e. striving for distinction, self-sacrifice and refusing to accept limits) and a measure of experiences of sexual violence (i.e. by team-mates and coaches). Relationships between variables were examined using logistic regression analysis. The results show that increasing conformity to the striving for distinction norm contributes to an increase in the probability of being a victim of sexual violence from team-mates. Conformity to this norm is also associated with sexual violence by the coach, depending on the type of sport. Finally, increasing conformity to the norm of self-sacrifice increases the likelihood of experiencing sexual violence from the coach in an individual sport. These results may lead to the establishment of collective actions to influence conformity to the sport ethic norms and may pave the way for other studies to examine the factors influencing sexual violence since the phenomenon is multifactorial and little of the variance is explained by sport ethic.

Graphic Trauma


 
 
 In this essay, I explore examples of what I call graphic trauma and the processof drawing as a form of working through the experience and event of sexual violence. I contend that comics and graphic narratives are a medium well-suited for rendering trauma, and the trauma of sexual violence in particular, as I show in an analysis of Una’s graphic narrative Becoming Unbecoming and Chanel Miller’s animated short film I Am With You. I argue that for both artists, drawing becomes a form of consciousness-raising, a collaborative feminist practice of memory
 work that attempts to create conditions – formal, therapeutic, and political – for women to say #MeToo and “we.” In my readings of Una’s and Miller’s draw-ing as working through sexual violence, I also demonstrate close verbal/visual description as a practice of care that keeps the testimony moving, drawing out the feminist practice of memory work in time and space and across modalities. A brief coda at the end of the essay offers an image of a hybrid figure from Miller’s graphic iconography and a concept and practice she calls “the third element.” I argue that this third element functions as a formal provocation for counter- modalities that change the story of sexual assault, creating a portal to resistance and healing.
 
 

Prevalence and Correlates of Sexual Violence Experienced by Young Adult Black Men Who Have Sex with Men.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) experience high prevalence of sexual violence (SV), and SV has well-documented effects on health. Research gaps are especially evident for young Black MSM (YBMSM), who experience significant HIV disparities and syndemics, including multiple forms of violence victimization. We examined lifetime prevalence of SV (having been forced or frightened into sexual activity) in a cross-sectional sample of YBMSM (N = 1732), and tested associations of demographic, psychosocial, and structural factors using multivariable regression. YBMSM were recruited between 2013 and 2015 using modified venue-based time-location sampling (e.g., at bars and clubs) in Dallas and Houston, Texas. Approximately 17% of YBMSM experienced any SV in their lifetimes. SV was associated with high school non-completion (OR 1.78; 95% CI 1.15-2.77), lower psychological resilience (OR 0.84; 95% CI 0.71-0.98), lifetime history of homelessness (OR 5.52; 95% CI 3.80-8.02), recent financial hardship (OR 2.16; 95% CI 1.48-3.14), and recent transactional sex (OR 3.87; 95% CI 2.43-6.15). We also examined differences by age of SV onset (childhood versus adulthood). YBMSM with adolescent/emerging adult-onset SV may have been more ambivalent in reporting lifetime SV experience, compared to men with childhood-onset SV, and correlates differed by age of onset. Childhood-onset SV was associated with high school non-completion, lower levels of psychological resilience, history of homelessness, recent financial hardship, and recent transactional sex. Adolescent/emerging adult-onset SV was associated with greater depressive symptoms, history of homelessness, and recent financial hardship. There is a need for multi-level approaches to SV prevention and treatment, including services and supports that are culturally-relevant and responsive to the needs of YBMSM.

Lebenszeitpr\xe4valenz des Erlebens von Sex und sexueller Ber\xfchrung gegen den eigenen Willen sowie Zusammenh\xe4nge mit gesundheitsbezogenen Faktoren

ZusammenfassungHintergrundDie negativen Auswirkungen von sexueller Gewalt auf die Gesundheit sind im vergangenen Jahrzehnt weltweit erneut stark in den gesundheitspolitischen Fokus gerückt. Bislang fehlen für Deutschland bevölkerungsrepräsentative Daten, auf deren Basis die Lebenszeitprävalenz für unterschiedliche Altersgruppen sowie spezifische Zusammenhänge zu gesundheitsbezogenen Faktoren dargestellt werden können.Ziel der ArbeitDie Studie untersucht 1) die Lebenszeitprävalenz für Sex sowie sexuelle Berührung gegen den eigenen Willen im Kindesalter und über die Lebensspanne sowie 2) die Zusammenhänge mit gesundheitsbezogenen Faktoren.Material und Methoden4955 Personen im Alter von 18 bis 75 Jahren wurden in einer zweistufig geschichteten, randomisierten Einwohnermeldeamtsstichprobe im Rahmen des bundesweiten wissenschaftlichen Survey „Gesundheit und Sexualität in Deutschland“ (GeSiD) befragt. Die Zusammenhänge mit soziodemografischen und gesundheitsbezogenen Faktoren wurden (altersadjustiert und stratifiziert für Geschlecht) mittels logistischer Regression berechnet.ErgebnisseFür Frauen lag die Lebenszeitprävalenz für (versuchten/vollzogenen) Sex bei 14,9 % und für (versuchte/vollzogene) sexuelle Berührung gegen den Willen bei 40,8 %, für Männer bei 3,1 % respektive 13,2 %. Für erzwungenen Sex vor dem 14. Lebensjahr lag die Prävalenz bei 2,1 %, für sexuelle Berührung bei 7,5 %. Es zeigten sich höhere Prävalenzen bei Personen mit beeinträchtigter Lebensqualität, schlechtem Gesundheitszustand, chronischer Erkrankung oder Behinderung, einer Behandlung aufgrund von Depression oder einer anderen psychischen Störung im letzten Jahr.DiskussionDie Studie verdeutlicht Zusammenhänge von sexueller Gewalt mit psychischer und somatischer Gesundheit. Sie unterstreicht die Dringlichkeit, nach solchen Erfahrungen regelhaft in der ärztlichen Anamnese zu fragen.

"You Can Get Away with Anything Here… No Justice at All"- Sexual Violence Against U.S. Indigenous Females and Its Consequences.

Sexual violence against Indigenous women has long been used as a tool of colonial violence and conquest. As a contemporary form of historical oppression that may drive associated health and mental health inequities, Indigenous women in the United States experience sexual violence at greater levels than the general population and at and twice the rate of Indigenous men. We use the Indigenous framework of historical oppression, resilience, and transcendence (FHORT) to understand Indigenous women’s experiences of sexual violence and how it differentiates across ecological outcomes related to health and wellness. This exploratory sequential multimethod study with 563 participants (n = 436 qualitative and n = 127 quantitative survey participants) qualitatively explores how Indigenous peoples describe sexual violence and quantitatively investigates key differences across ecological outcomes of wellness related to sexual violence, including alcohol use and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results indicated that all participants (100 percent) who reported sexual violence were women. Thematic analysis of qualitative results revealed the themes related to familial, non-familial, and the historical oppression of a lack of accountability for perpetrators. Quantitative t-Tests results revealed that experiencing sexual violence was associated with significant differences across ecological dimensions of wellness including (a) structural: higher historical oppression, historical loss, oppression, and discrimination; (b) relational: higher adverse childhood experiences and stressful life events and lower family resilience and social support; (c) spiritual: lower spiritual-well-being and life satisfaction; and (d) psychological/behavioral: higher levels of alcohol use, PTSD, and lower levels of psychological resilience. Thus, sexual violence profoundly affected Indigenous women.

A Geospatial Analysis of Disclosure of and Social Reactions to Sexual Victimization on Twitter Using #MeToo

Twitter has emerged as a space for survivors of sexual violence to share unwanted sexual experiences and for web users to provide support and feedback. Because Twitter data is often associated with latitude and longitude points, geospatial mapping of tweets that utilized the hashtag #MeToo to discuss experiences of sexual violence may be useful in understanding ways to best deliver resources to survivors who seek help online. Accordingly, the present study conducted an exploratory geographic information systems (GIS) “hotspot” (i.e., special cluster of tweet events) analysis to examine the feasibility of mapping tweets including the hashtag #MeToo with associated latitude and longitude data (N = 777) to target interventions and resource provision. Data indicated that tweets with the hashtag #MeToo were dispersed across the United States in a manner inconsistent with population density and that concentrated points emerged in other countries. Data suggest that certain geographic regions are more motivated to discuss sexual violence online and are perhaps in more dire need of violence-related resources. Future research should incorporate GIS analysis of larger Twitter datasets to target resource provision toward populations engaged in help-seeking online. GIS analysis of Twitter discourse surrounding gender-based violence may also be utilized by law enforcement, healthcare agencies, and academicians to develop targeted interventions.