Female Sexual Assault Research Articles

Epidemiological, clinical and psychological aspects of victims of female child sexual abuse in the gynaecology and obstetrics department of tertiary hospital, Karnataka

Child sexual abuse is an alarming reality that although is recognized as a serious violation of human well-being and of the law often goes unreported or overlooked. The present study was planned to identify the clinic-social profile of victims of child sexual abuse, circumstances under which these heinous crimes have occurred and study the psychological status of the victims. A retrospective record-based study from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2021 conducted in a tertiary care hospital of north Karnataka, India. All the female patients aged less than 18 years admitted during our investigation period who were victims of child sexual abuse were included in the study. All case reports obtained from the medical record division and fulfilling the inclusion criteria were scrutinized by the authors for completeness of data. The data was entered in MS excel master sheet and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software version 22. A total of 158 victims of female child sexual abuse were documented in our centre. The age of the victims ranged from 1 to 17 years and that of abusers varied from 15 years to 75 years. For most incidents, the offenders were known to the victims. The highest incidence of sexual assault was reported in abusers’ home, followed by victim’s home. Majority of the female children were abused multiple times (45.6%). There is an urgent need for comprehensive prevention programs, awareness campaigns, accessible support services, public awareness campaigns and legal enhancements to address CSA effectively in schools and communities that educate children on recognizing and reporting abuse.

Audit of Genito-Anal Injuries in male and female sexual abuse cases - A retrospective study.

Background: Sexual assault is a global issue wherein timely examination of sexual assault victims by medico-legal officers and an understanding of the characteristics and factors influencing their injuries have a crucial impact on medico-legal evidence collection and its use in the court. Genital injury findings improve the level of justice for victims, but the lack of injury does not negate the possibility of sexual violence incurred on the victim. The following study describes in great detail the different factors associated with injury characteristics and the medico-legal importance of all these factors. Methodology: It was a retrospective descriptive study conducted at the Forensic Medicine Department of King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakistan. All the cases included that fulfill the predefined inclusion criteria were included. A record chart was designed, and six years’ data was recorded in it from the medical records of the medico-legal clinic. It was entered and edited manually. Methods used to prevent data entry errors included double entry and validation following data entry Difference of proportions between variables, where appropriate, has been calculated by Pearson Chi-Square test and Fischer Exact test at 95% confidence interval. Data were analyzed using SPSS v23. All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were following the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and the Helsinki declaration. Results: Genito anal injury was present in 28.2% cases and was absent in 71.8% cases. Most of the victims were aged 11 to 15 years. The most common injury in the victims was a tear. In females, the most common injury site was the vagina, while the perianal area was the most injured site in males. There was a significant relation (p<0.05) between type and site of injury, gender, site of injury, and prior sexual intercourse experience and prevalence rate of injury. Conclusion: This study concludes that the presence of injuries in the Genito anal area is suggestive of sexual assault and provides useful court evidence.

Medicolegal assessment of reported female sexual assaults in the Kingdom of Bahrain: record-based descriptive study

BackgroundSexual assault is an important social issue that influences women’s lives. Despite a significant increase in 2018, there is no reliable information available in the Kingdom of Bahrain about female sexual assaults. The aim of this study is to investigate the pattern of reported sexual assaults among living female victims in the Kingdom of Bahrain. All medicolegal reports of sexual assaults in living female victims from 2016 to 2020 were included. Reported cases were studied for sociodemographic data of victims, assailant data, assault circumstances, and medicolegal findings and procedures.ResultsThe prevalence of female sexual assault allegations was 7%. During the studied period, there were 272 cases of sexual assault overall. Most cases were in the age group 18–30 years (41.2%). In 58.1% of assaults, the assailant was the boyfriend or partner of the victim. The medicolegal examination took place within 2 days after assault in only 32%. Forensic examination of sexual assault victims revealed extragenital injuries in only 30.9% of cases. Sexual assaults involving mixed penetration occurred in 66.9% of victims, followed by vaginal penetration (30.1%), then anal penetration (2.9%). The final medicolegal opinion confirmed positive assault in 38.6% of allegations and negative assault in 32.4% of allegations, while allegations that have no firm medicolegal conclusion were 29%.ConclusionsDespite the efforts made in Bahrain, there is an underestimated problem of sexual violence against females which needs a robust multilevel strategy including the roles of education, law, and non-governmental institutions.

A qualitative study examining the lived experiences of stress among female sexual assault survivors in an 8-week trauma-sensitive yoga intervention.

A qualitative study examining the lived experiences of stress among female sexual assault survivors in an 8-week trauma-sensitive yoga intervention.

Development of a brief bedside tool to screen women sexual assault survivors for risk of persistent posttraumatic stress six months after sexual assault

This study aims to develop and validate a brief bedside tool to screen women survivors presenting for emergency care following sexual assault for risk of persistent elevated posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) six months after assault. Participants were 547 cisgender women sexual assault survivors who presented to one of 13 sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) programs for medical care within 72 h of a sexual assault and completed surveys one week and six months after the assault. Data on 222 potential predictors from the SANE visit and the week one survey spanning seven broadly-defined risk factor domains were candidates for inclusion in the screening tool. Elevated PTSS six months after assault were defined as PCL-5 > 38. LASSO logistic regression was applied to 20 randomly selected bootstrapped samples to evaluate variable importance. Logistic regression models comprised of the top 10, 20, and 30 candidate predictors were tested in 10 cross-validation samples drawn from 80% of the sample. The resulting instrument was validated in the remaining 20% of the sample. AUC of the finalized eight-item prediction tool was 0.77 and the Brier Score was 0.19. A raw score of 41 on the screener corresponds to a 70% risk of elevated PTSS at 6 months. Similar performance was observed for elevated PTSS at one year. This brief, eight-item risk stratification tool consists of easy-to-collect information and, if validated, may be useful for clinical trial enrichment and/or patient screening.

Re-evaluating the Legal and Institutional Complications Affecting the Protection of Women's Rights in Cameroon: The Need to Remedying the Odds

Several complex legal and institutional issues beset preserving women’s rights in Cameroon. Women’s rights refer to a wide range of ideals and entitlements intended to guarantee gender equality and encourage women’s full involvement and empowerment in all spheres of society. These rights include freedom from violence, equality, education, health, and body autonomy, among other things. However, even with the modern conception and advancement of today's society, women continue to be treated inhumanely, uncaringly, and pitilessly, thereby affecting their status and rights acquired in today´s society, with the numerous legal instruments wavering from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Maputo Protocol, the African Charter on the Welfare of the Child, and hosts of other condemning the illegal practices experienced by women on the international scene. The increase in violations continues to be rampant. With all the praiseworthy struggles instigated and affected by these instruments, the degree of violation of women's rights is increasing and increasing in Cameroon. Women continue to experience violations of their rights, especially those related to Female Genital Mutilation, Sexual Abuse, Rape, widow practices, and many other harmful practices. The query one would be posing here is in searching why Cameroon is considered a State of Law, devouring great efforts in certifying that women anguishing from the effect of violence should be protected, continue to experience an increase in cases of women's rights violations. In this vane, it will be sufficient for us to assess the various legal and institutional dispositions put in place by the State of Cameroon in handling cases of violence done against women. It is surprising that with all the laws initiated by the State of Cameroon from the Constitution, the Penal Code, the Labour Code, the Civil Status Registration Ordinance, and the Civil Code enacted to deal with cases of violence done on Women, there exists no concrete and concise law handling matters of violence against women. The situation of child marriage, Female Genital Mutilation, Breast Ironing, Widow Practices, and Property Discrimination continue to be a nightmare and a pandemic to eradicate in the country, irrespective of the efforts introduced by competent authorities. There is a need to redress the situation for a better protective climate for women and their societal statuses.

Peritraumatic tonic immobility and posttraumatic symptoms among LGBTQ+ versus straight cisgender female sexual assault survivors.

The current study examined group differences in peritraumatic tonic immobility (TI) and posttraumatic symptoms among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) females and their straight, cisgender counterparts. Adult female sexual assault (SA) survivors (N = 86; 41.9% LGBTQ+) completed a questionnaire battery assessing demographics, TI experience, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, dissociative symptoms, and posttraumatic cognitions. Chi-square analyses, analyses of variance, and hierarchical linear regressions were used to characterize the associations among these variables. Individuals identifying as LGBTQ+ endorsed higher rates and severity of TI as well as greater posttraumatic stress symptoms compared to their straight, cisgender counterparts. Both LGBTQ+ status and TI experience predicted greater posttraumatic stress symptoms. Findings suggest that LGBTQ+ individuals who endorse TI during SA experience greater posttraumatic symptoms than their non-LGBTQ+ and non-TI counterparts. These findings have important implications for future research and treatment of female SA survivors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Female adolescent sexual assault; a national review of 1014 consecutive cases

BackgroundSexual violence is common in contemporary society and disproportionally affects adolescents. In order to develop effective treatment, awareness and prevention strategies it is vital that we understand the epidemiology of adolescent sexual assault (SA). The aim of this study is to evaluate attendances by female adolescents to the national sexual assault treatment unit (SATU) network in the Republic of Ireland and compare these attendances with adult women accessing the service. MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study analysing the attendances of all adolescent female attendances at the 6 SATUs in the Republic of Ireland and comparing them with all adult female attendances between 1/1/2017 and 31/12/2022. ResultsThere were 1014 female adolescent attendances and 3951 female adult attendances over the timeframe studied. Adult attenders were more likely to attend within 7-days of the alleged assault compared with adolescent attenders (80.3% V 70.2% OR1.513 CI 1.35-1.697 p < 0.001). When compared with adult attenders, adolescent attenders were significantly more likely to disclose being assaulted outdoors (40.9% V 15.7% OR2.607 CI 2.346-2.898 p < 0.01), during the day (58.4% V 34.4% OR1.673 CI 1.565-1.790 p < 0.01), assaulted by a friend/family member (28.9% V 16% OR 1.812 CI1.603-2.049 p < 0.01) and less likely to have consumed alcohol prior to the incident (45.6% V 25.3% OR1.807 CI 1.653-1.975 p < 0.001). Physical injuries were less likely in adolescent attenders (30% V 35.5% OR0.845 CI 0.758-0.942 p = 0.02). ConclusionA comparison of the characteristics of adolescent and adult female sexual assault disclosures identifies differences regarding location of the incident, relationship to perpetrator and prevalence of alcohol consumption. Knowledge of these factors support appropriate tailoring of treatment, prevention and awareness strategies to help modify the impact and reduce the incidence of SA in the vulnerable adolescent cohort.

Gendered framing and victim-blaming in fictional sexual assault survivor portrayals

ABSTRACT Evidence of victim-blaming has become a reoccurring feature in media portrayals of female sexual assault survivors, but considerably less attention has been devoted to victim-blaming in portrayals of male survivors. This study explores how framing of portrayals and potential presentations of rape myths in fictional television dramas differ based on gender of the survivor in the same fictional television program. Data was collected and analyzed using a content analysis of fictionalized sexual assault experiences in 41 episodes of 13 Reasons Why and 20 episodes of Law & Order: SVU, two widely consumed programs depicting sexual assault. Findings indicate improvement, to some extent, in reducing the level of victim-blaming of survivors in television drama episodes airing in the post #MeToo era. Despite improvement, the continued emphasis of notions present in common male and female rape myths, even following #MeToo, make it imperative to understand how these types of portrayals may be influencing viewers’ perceptions of sexual assault survivors.

Addressing sexual assault in Pakistan: Insights from an analysis of female survivors at Lahore General Hospital

Background & objectiveRape is a severe kind of sexual violence that represents a significant violation of human rights. The objective was to investigate the demographic and clinical features of female survivors of sexual assault in Lahore, Pakistan. MethodA retrospective study was conducted at the Department of Forensic Medicine of Lahore General Hospital, analysing records of female sexual assault survivors investigated by affiliated police stations from November 2020 to November 2022. Data were collected from medicolegal certificates and medical notes and analysed using SPSS software. Result282 female survivors reported to Lahore General Hospital's Forensic Medicine Department, aged 5–55 years, with a mean age of 22.74 ± 8.30. A significant proportion (50.4%) were aged 16–25 years. Most survivors were examined between 6 and 24 h (34%) and 2–7 days (37.9%) after the assault, with the majority (95%) exhibiting well-developed secondary sexual characteristics. Sexual assault and physical abuse were both reported in 56.4% of cases. In 77% of cases, the perpetrator was known, and in 36.5% of cases, a weapon was used. No external body injury was observed in 74.8% of cases, and 2.8% showed signs of fresh hymen rupture. The study identified 92.2% of cases lost to follow-up. ConclusionThis study highlights the pressing need to implement effective measures to prevent and address rape in Pakistan. The findings emphasise the need for education, improved forensic infrastructure and policy reforms to address sexual assault effectively.

The moderating roles of emotion regulation and coping self-efficacy on the association between PTSD symptom severity and drug use among female sexual assault survivors.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders are a significant comorbid concern among sexual assault survivors. Thus, underlying risk and protective factors are critical to investigate in understanding how to prevent this comorbidity. The current study assessed potential moderating effects of coping self-efficacy (CSE) and emotion dysregulation on the association between sexual assault-related PTSD symptom severity and drug use severity in a sample of college women. In this study, 518 female undergraduate students completed self-report measures of nonconsensual sexual experiences, PTSD symptoms, CSE, emotion dysregulation, and drug use severity. Of these participants, 287 women reported at least 1 incident of attempted or completed rape. We found evidence of a significant moderation effect, suggesting that high levels of CSE and low levels of emotion dysregulation reduce the likelihood of drug use issues for female sexual assault survivors. These findings suggest that assessment tools, interventions, and trauma-related policies should target CSE and emotion dysregulation in attenuating the risk of drug use for women with assault-related PTSD symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

An investigation of the relationship between female rape myths, child sexual abuse myths and personality disorders

ABSTRACT Given high prevalence rates internationally for female rape and CSA and a gap in the literature regarding personality characteristics of those more likely to endorse these myths, this research sought to examine female rape myths versus child sexual abuse (CSA) myth acceptances as a function of the participants’ maladaptive personality traits and sexual trauma history. 469 adults (61.4% female, 36.5% male, M age range 35–44 years old) participated, endorsing significantly higher rates of acceptance of female rape myths than CSA myths. Sexual trauma history was unrelated to either myth. Higher scores on Antisocial, Narcissistic and Sadistic Personality Disorder scales were significantly correlated with higher rates of acceptance of both myths. Multiple regression analyses determined that higher scores on Narcissistic and Sadistic personality scales uniquely predicted both higher CSA and female rape myth acceptance. The results offer implications for more effective communications to combat false beliefs about CSA and sexual assault. PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENT The results may have implications for interventions targeting false beliefs about CSA and sexual assault. Our research focuses on personality disorder traits, leading to possible implications for individuals with these traits or disorders, as they are diagnoseable and therefore can be treatable. Interventions targeting these myths generally may not be as effective for someone with these personality disorders, so this research suggests perhaps modified protocols can be created to help destigmatise CSA and rape survivors in these populations.

Female perpetrators of child sexual abuse in the United States

PurposeResearch on women who sexually abuse children is relatively scarce and tends to rely on small or unrepresentative convenience samples. The purpose of the current descriptive study is to examine characteristics female perpetrators of child sexual abuse using a large and contemporary dataset.Design/methodology/approachThis study analyzes data collected by the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, which is a census of all child protective services investigations or assessments conducted in all 50 states, as well as in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico from October 1, 2018, to September 30, 2019.FindingsOnly substantiated cases of sexual abuse were analyzed (n = 51,442 cases). Overall, 7.6% of the perpetrators were female, though the percentage of female perpetrators varied dramatically across states from less than 1% to over 36%. Female perpetrators tended to have younger victims than did male perpetrators. For children aged 2 or less, female perpetrators constituted approximately 20% of the abusers. Female perpetrators were more likely to victimize male and female children, whereas male perpetrators predominantly had female victims. More female perpetrators had a prior finding of maltreatment than did male perpetrators (32.3% vs 23.5%).Research limitations/implicationsThese findings add to the limited research base on female perpetrators of child sexual abuse and highlight avenues for further research into the differences between male and female sexual abusers.Originality/valueThis study is a replication of previous research but also provides additional novel findings.

La délinquance sexuelle féminine : état des connaissances

Until recently, the general population tended to believe that a woman could not be the perpetrator of coercive sexual behavior. While it is difficult to identify what may have fueled this belief, it may be associated with misconceptions about female behavior (example: a woman is rarely violent, but rather the target of violence) and/or sexual assault (example: a sexual assault is rape, which necessarily involves penile vaginal penetration). However, research in recent years has shown that women are also capable of committing sexual offenses (example: touching), alone or with a partner, sometimes under duress and other times on their own initiative. Who are these women? During this interview with Jean-Pierre Bouchard, Alexandre Gauthier, Ingrid Ménard, Tamsin Higgs, and Jonathan James attempt to answer this question by addressing: the false beliefs surrounding this form of delinquency and their impact on prevalence rates; the typical profile of female sexual offenders, distinguishing between those who act alone and those who act with a partner; and the main explanatory models of this form of delinquency. The researchers conclude by presenting the main parameters to be considered in the management of these women in a therapeutic context.

Facilitators of Sexual Assault Disclosure: A Dyadic Study of Female Survivors and Their Informal Supports

ABSTRACT Two-thirds of survivors typically disclose their experience to others at some point following sexual assault, but little in-depth research has addressed factors facilitating disclosure. In the current study, a diverse sample of 45 female sexual assault survivors (75% racial/ethnic minorities) and their 45 informal support providers (SP; e.g., family, friends, romantic partners) were interviewed separately about experiences of disclosure, social reactions, and help-seeking following assault. Disclosure facilitation was expressed by 40 survivors and 31 SPs, of which 28 were matched S/SP dyadic pairs. Narrative data on the overarching thematic category of sexual assault disclosure facilitation was analyzed using descriptive thematic analysis methods. Several themes emerged from the analysis of quotes specific to the facilitation of disclosure, including: individual (e.g., survivor psychological, behavioral, and disclosure recipient factors), interpersonal (e.g., SP-solicited disclosures, helping others, mutual disclosures), and societal (e.g., lack of barriers, formal supports, media). Implications are drawn for future research on facilitators of sexual assault disclosure. Clinical practice implications are provided for professionals supporting survivors and their informal support networks.

Sexual Assault Victimization in Premature Female Mortalities: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health

ABSTRACT Previous research has documented many behavioral problems associated with being a female victim of sexual assault, but little attention has been devoted to whether this experience might be related to premature mortalities. We investigated this utilizing the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health survey, collected from over 10,000 adolescent females in 1995, whose premature deaths (n = 65) were noted in 2007 in National Death Index records. Significant associations were found between females with a substance misuse history and their premature deaths, but not with being a sexual assault victim. The subset of respondents (n = 208) evincing both these characteristics showed significantly higher risks of dying prematurely, as did those females with early histories of drug misuse alone. Yet, adolescent females with histories of drug misuse who also attempted suicide (n = 214) did not show similar elevated risks of dying prematurely compared to others without these experiences. This exploratory evidence points to an affinity between both being a female sexual assault victim and having an early history of misusing drugs, putting such people at heightened risks for dying prematurely, suggesting the potential benefits of counseling and supportive services for those so affected.

Evaluation of Physical, Genital and Psychiatric Examination Findings in Female Sexual Assault and Sexual Abuse Victims

Evaluation of Physical, Genital and Psychiatric Examination Findings in Female Sexual Assault and Sexual Abuse Victims

“It was wrapped in a kind of normalcy”: The lived experience and consequences in adulthood of survivors of female child sexual abuse

BackgroundSurvivors' surveys on the frequency of sexual offenses committed by women indicated a prevalence rate of 9.9 % to 11.6 %. Nevertheless, only a few studies have explored the long-term consequences of abuse on survivors. ObjectivesExamine the lived experiences and the long-term consequences of child sexual abuse committed by women. ParticipantsFifteen adult participants who experienced child sexual abuse conducted by female offenders participated in the study. MethodsThe Interpretive Phenomenological Approach was applied to semi-structured interviews. ResultsThree central themes emerged: types of abuse, characteristics of the perpetrator, and consequences of abuse. Most survivors experienced direct or indirect forms of sexual abuse committed by their mothers. In most cases, the offenders masked their abuse in caregiving, disciplinary or playful behavior. The survivors perceived their mothers as narcissistic, controlling, hostile, and having tremendous difficulties with separation. The survivors reported the need to engage in extensive negative long-lasting psychopathologies, which they attributed partly to having been invalidated and silenced by society. Many participants expressed fears of re-enacting the survivor or perpetrator role, which has led to difficulties in various relationships. They described an altered perception of their bodies as shameful and repulsive, manifesting in self-harm, eating disorders, and the elimination of signs of femininity. ConclusionThis complex form of sexual abuse hampers the internalization and the construction of positive feminine, masculine, and parental identities.

Sexual Abuse and its Implication in Nigerian Universities: A Reflection of David Bolaji’s TaniMola, A Satirical Folk Opera

Satire is a potent literary art used to critique and redress illicit acts in societies. It is one of the artistic weapons from time immemorial used by literary writers and art musicians for correcting societal ills. Also, this phenomenon, within the context of academia, has been used to unmask the perpetrators of evils and unlawful acts prevalent at different levels of the Nigerian university system and political system of governance. This study examines sexual abuse and its implication for Nigerian universities while reflecting on the illicit behaviours illustrated in David Bolaji’s Tanimola (2011), a satirical folk opera. The paper exposes male lecturers’ sexual molestation of female students and the stigmatisation of sexual assault victims. In addition, it unravels other illicit acts within the University community in Nigeria and how each identified unlawful act is treated with irony, humour, and contempt within the framework of TaniMola. Adopting the principle of Ethics and Moral Theory presented by Strahovnik (2018) for textual analyses of the libretto, plots, and scenes in Tanimola, the article submits that as the university system passes through different transitions, there is a need for caution on the part of male lecturers concerning sexual assaults being perpetuated on female students. The study pointed out that every institution has roles to play in the crusade against the illicit acts of female sexual abuse in Nigerian universities if gender fairness is guaranteed and the education standard is to be improved.

Recovering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms: A study on the combination of art and mindfulness

Introduction: Even though sexual assault is rarely considered a serious social problem; it can lead to severe mental-health consequences. Aim: The aim of the current study was to assess the attrition rates and the effectiveness of a therapeutic program of art and mindfulness on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in female sexual assault survivors. Method: This study was a controlled clinical trial with a design of pre-test, post-test, and a twomonth follow-up. The population included women with sexual assault experience that had sought professional help in the psychotherapy clinics of Hamedan in 2019. 16 individuals were first selected using purposive sampling and then were allocated randomly to control (N=8) and experimental groups (N=8). The utilized questionnaires included the Impact-of-Event-Scale (2007) and the Depression-Anxiety-Stress-Scale-21 (1995). The combined treatment of art and mindfulness was conducted for the experimental group through eight two-hour weekly sessions. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, one-way ANCOVA and SPSS software-version 22. Results: Findings indicated that the combined art and mindfulness therapeutic program reduced intrusion (F=20.34, P&lt;0.001), arousal (F=20.43, P&lt;0.001), avoidance (F=14.32, P&lt;0.002), and stress scores (F=33.46, P&lt;0.001) significantly in the experimental group. Conclusion: The findings indicated that the combined art therapy and mindfulness method could play a significant role in the alleviation of PTSD symptoms in sexually traumatized individuals. It is suggested that the therapists consider this intervention for individuals that are severely afraid of their trauma-related memories.