A trauma-informed guide to caring for adolescents following sexual assault

Trauma-Informed Research With Emerging Adult Survivors of Sexual Violence

Health researchers have had increasing calls to include vulnerable populations in research to tailor inclusive evidence-based practice interventions. The inclusion of vulnerable populations in research is sensitive and complex. Sensitive topics such as dating and sexual violence are especially complex, with emerging adults the highest risk group for all forms of sexual violence and an especially hard-to-reach population for inclusion in research. Impacts of trauma, including physiological and psychological, complex needs of survivors, and potential for revictimization during interactions when participating in research must be considered. Researchers must be equipped with specialized, trauma-informed skills to safely and ethically conduct all aspects of research. Using the trauma-informed framework, the purpose of this paper is to discuss the complexities of conducting research with emerging adult survivors of sexual violence and to explore evidence-based approaches that can safely include this vulnerable population through the application of trauma-informed approaches. The use of evidence-based, trauma-informed research approaches tailored to engage this population in research can further help to develop effective interventions that are context-sensitive to emerging adults.

Sexually Transmitted Infection/Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Pregnancy, and Mental Health-Related Services Provided During Visits With Sexual Assault and Abuse Diagnosis for US Medicaid Beneficiaries, 2019

BACKGROUND

Centers for Disease Control recommends that the decision to provide sexually transmitted infection (STI)/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing and presumptive treatment to patients who report sexual assault and abuse (SAA) be made on an individual basis.

METHODS

The 2019 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services national Medicaid data set was used. The SAA visits were identified by International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision Clinical Modification (O9A4 for pregnancy-related sexual abuse, T74.2 for confirmed sexual abuse, and Z04.4 for alleged rape). The initial SAA visit was defined as the patient's first SAA-related visit. Medical services were identified by International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision Clinical Modification codes, Current Procedural Terminology codes, and National Drug Code codes.

RESULTS

Of 55,113 patients at their initial SAA visits, 86.2% were female; 63.4% aged ≥13 years; 59.2% visited emergency department (ED); all STI/HIV tests were provided in ≤20% of visits; presumptive gonorrhea and chlamydia treatment was provided in 9.7% and 3.4% of visits, respectively; pregnancy test was provided in 15.7% of visits and contraception services was provided in 9.4% of visits; and diagnosed anxiety was provided in 6.4% of visits. Patients who visited ED were less likely to have STI testing and anxiety than those visited non-ED facilities, but more likely to receive presumptive treatment for gonorrhea, testing for pregnancy, and contraceptive services. About 14.2% of patients had follow-up SAA visits within 60 days after the initial SAA visit. Of 7821 patients with the follow-up SAA visits within 60 days, most medical services provided were chlamydia testing (13.8%), gonorrhea testing (13.5%), syphilis testing (12.8%), HIV testing (14.0%); diagnosed anxiety (15.0%), and posttraumatic stress disorder (9.8%).

CONCLUSIONS

Current medical services during SAA visits for Medicaid patients are described in this evaluation. More collaboration with staff who handle SAA will improve SAA-related medical services.

Interprofessional Collaboration to Optimize Trauma-Informed Care in Pediatric Forensics

There are many challenges in providing trauma-informed healthcare to pediatric victims of sexual abuse and their families. We address this through collaborative interprofessional efforts within our hospital facility, located in a Midwestern adult Level 1 and pediatric trauma center. Our sexual assault nurse examiner team is composed of eight nurses and provides 24/7 coverage. The child abuse team located in our hospital includes one board-certified child abuse pediatrician, one certified pediatric nurse practitioner, and a licensed clinical social worker. The application of trauma-informed care using case scenarios involving both teams is described in this article.