Number Of Sexual Assaults Research Articles

Trauma in Rapes and Assaults.

Psychological trauma primarily affects children and adolescents; it mostly results from physical and sexual maltreatment. In the Medico-Judicial Unit Center for Sexual Violence Victims in Tours, France, which I joined in 1992 for research and to give treatment, underage patients represented about three-quarters of patients. At the same time, a national survey was conducted in collaboration with Marie Choquet’s “Adolescent Health” group (INSERM), which targeted several thousand adolescents representing the general population. It revealed that almost one out of five adolescents had experienced physical or sexual assault, and that although the number of sexual assaults probably does not exceed that of physical assaults, most of the time their psychological consequences do considerably exceed those of physical assaults. Several symptoms appear after experiencing rapes or assaults. They have a distinct semiology and independent evolutions. We isolated three of them: dissociative and phobic traumatic syndrome, re-experiencing traumatic syndrome, and borderline-like traumatic syndrome. They are generally triggered all at the same time or in close succession. Re-experiencing traumatic syndrome is profound, but the other two are often more worrying, particularly in relation to children and adolescents, because they generate disorders in their psychological development.

Sexual Violence Trends between 2004 and 2008 in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo

For more than a decade, conflict in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been claiming lives. Within that conflict, sexual violence has been used by militia groups to intimidate and punish communities, and to control territory. This study aimed to: (1) investigate overall frequency in number of Eastern DRC sexual assaults from 2004 to 2008 inclusive; (2) determine if peaks in sexual violence coincide with known military campaigns in Eastern DRC; and (3) study the types of violence and types of perpetrators as a function of time. This study was a retrospective, descriptive, registry-based evaluation of sexual violence survivors presenting to Panzi Hospital between 2004 and 2008. A total of 4,311 records were reviewed. Throughout the five-year study period, the highest number of reported sexual assaults occurred in 2004, with a steady decrease in the total number of incidents reported at Panzi Hospital from 2004 through 2008. The highest peak of reported sexual assaults coincided with a known militant attack on the city of Bukavu. A smaller sexual violence peak in April 2004 coincided with a known military clash near Bukavu. Over the five-year period, the number of sexual assaults reportedly perpetrated by armed combatants decreased by 77% (p = 0.086) and the number of assaults reportedly perpetrated by non-specified perpetrators decreased by 92% (p < 0.0001). At the same time, according to the hospital registry, the number of sexual assaults reportedly perpetrated by civilians increased 17-fold (p < 0.0001). This study was limited by its retrospective nature, by the inherent selection bias of studying only survivors presenting to Panzi Hospital, and by the use of a convenience sample within Panzi Hospital. After years of military rape in South Kivu Province, civilian adoption of sexual violence may be a growing phenomenon. If this is the case, the social mechanisms that prevent sexual violence will have to be rebuilt and sexual violence laws will have to be fully enforced to bring all perpetrators to justice. Proper rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-combatants may also be an important step towards reducing civilian rape in Eastern DRC.

Social, biological, and tumor characteristics of 139 African American (AA) women with newly diagnosed breast cancer in Chicago.

6064 Background: Previous work by our group has shown that social isolation, social stress, and increased vigilance are associated with larger and more aggressive mammary tumors in animal models. In this study, we seek to better characterize these relationships among AA women with newly diagnosed breast cancer. Methods: AA women newly diagnosed with breast cancer were recruited from 3 hospitals in the Chicago area from 2005-2009. Women underwent in-home interviews which focused on psychosocial functioning and social networks. In addition, 4 daily salivary cortisol samples were self-collected over a 3 day period. Additional neighborhood and community level data were collected using direct neighborhood mapping and geocoded information. Tumor samples were analyzed by IHC for ER, PR, HER2 and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) status. Results: 139 women were included in the sample. Median age 52. Stage: 5%DCIS, 29% I, 31% II, 30% III, 5% IV. 34% were triple negative (TN) and of 71 evaluable cases, 64% were GR+. GR status was associated with invasive cancer (69% invasive cancers GR+ vs. 29% of DCIS cases). 32% of pts were clinically depressed, 68% had moved in the previous 10 years, 31% had suffered a sexual assault, and loneliness scores were higher than a same-race Cook County control sample. In multivariate modeling, number of sexual assaults in the neighborhood was associated with estrogen-receptor (ER) negative status (b = -0.189, p < 0.05) and poorer histological grade of tumor (b = 0.143, p < 0.05). Felt loneliness was associated with HER2neu receptor negative status (b = -0.096, p < 0.05). 67% of patients had no diurnal cortisol variation (flat response) and cortisol group (flat versus circadian) was significantly associated with the individual factors mentioned above. Conclusions: AA women have high rates of TN tumors and GR+ tumors which is being recognized as an additional poor prognostic factor. They also suffer from numerous social stressors which appear to be linked to tumor biology and a flattened stress response. Continued work on understanding the interaction of these social variables and stress response on tumor biology and adherence to therapy is needed. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Addressing Sexual Assault on College Campuses: Guidelines for a Prevention/Awareness Week

The authors discuss concepts that are related to providing education and training regarding sexual assault, as outlined by the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990, as amended in 1992. Because college counseling center staff members often initiate and plan campus outreach prevention programs, an outline is provided of a prevention/awareness week intervention that is designed to address sexual assault on university and college campuses.

Psychological and Physical Health Effects of Sexual Assaults and Nonsexual Traumas Among Male and Female United States Army Soldiers

Lifetime trauma history was assessed in a health study of active duty United States Army soldiers. Five hundred fifty-five male and 573 female soldiers in the sample were asked whether they had ever experienced 14 different potentially traumatic experiences, including sexual assaults, violent stressors to self, and terrifying events that occurred to others and were secondarily traumatic through exposure by gaining information or as a witness to the event. Most soldiers had experienced multiple traumas, and premilitary exposure to events was much more common than exposure to events after entering the military. Global measures of current psychological distress and physical health symptoms were predicted by the lifetime number of sexual assaults and traumas to self. Social support from military unit leaders moderated the relationship between accumulated exposure to traumas and both health measures, whereas unit cohesion was directly associated with fewer mental health problems.

Forced Sex and Intimate Partner Violence

A volunteer community sample of 159 primarily (77%) African American battered women were interviewed about forced sex by their partner (or ex-partner). Almost half (45.9%) of the sample had been sexually assaulted as well as physically abused. Except for ethnicity, there were no demographic differences between those who were forced into sex and those who were not, and there was no difference in history of child sexual abuse. However, those who were sexually assaulted had higher scores on negative health symptoms, gynecological symptoms, and risk factors for homicide even when controlling for physical abuse and demographic variables. The number of sexual assaults (childhood, rape, and intimate partner) was significantly correlated with depression and body image.