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Wright EN, Miyamoto S, Anderson J. "Having One Person Tell Me I Didn't Do the Wrong Thing": The Impact of Support on the Post-Sexual Assault Exam Experience. Violence Against Women 2024; 30:2721-2742. [PMID: 36794461 PMCID: PMC11292967 DOI: 10.1177/10778012231156153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Social support following a sexual assault (SA) may help minimize or prevent the myriad of negative sequelae impacting individuals who experience SA. Receiving a SA exam may provide initial support during the SA exam and set up individuals with needed resources and supports post-SA exam. However, the few individuals who receive a SA exam may not stay connected to resources or support post-exam. The purpose of this study was to understand individuals' post-SA-exam social support pathways including individuals' ability to cope, seek care, or accept support following a SA exam. Interviews were conducted with individuals who experienced SA and then received a SA exam through a telehealth model. The findings revealed the importance of social support during the SA exam and in the months that followed. Implications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sheridan Miyamoto
- College of Nursing, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- The Child Maltreatment Solutions Network, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Jocelyn Anderson
- College of Nursing, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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2
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Rodríguez S, Mclean B, Tungate A, Massa A, Ho J, Burud G, Lechner M, Black J, Buchanan J, Reed G, Platt M, Riviello R, Rossi C, Liberzon I, Rauch S, Bollen K, Mclean S, Martin S. Experiences of women sexual assault survivors with police in the early aftermath of assault: Results from a large-scale prospective study. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-4675100. [PMID: 39149489 PMCID: PMC11326375 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4675100/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Over 100,000 women present for emergency care after sexual assault (SA) annually in the United States. To our knowledge, no large prospective studies have assessed SA survivor experiences with police. Women SA survivors enrolled at 13 sites (n = 706), and 630 survivors reported on their police interactions. Most women were interested in speaking with police, spoke with police, and reported positive experiences. Latinas and women with lower education and income were less likely to speak with police. Trauma and posttraumatic stress symptoms were associated with more negative experiences. Qualitative comments provide key points for police to consider when speaking with survivors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Ralph Riviello
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
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Harper CA, Rumney PNS, Sackey DA. Are Sex Offending Allegations Viewed Differently? Exploring the Effect of Offense Type and Conviction Status on Criminal Stigmatization. SEXUAL ABUSE : A JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND TREATMENT 2024; 36:33-58. [PMID: 36716703 PMCID: PMC10757765 DOI: 10.1177/10790632231154168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Attitudes towards individuals with sexual convictions play a major role in the formation of legislative action, including sentencing policies and registration and notification procedures. However, there is little research about stigmatization directed at those who are accused of such offenses prior to conviction. In this work we explored this gap by comparing stigmatization (e.g., a desire for social distance, and negative personality attributions) towards people accused of a range of crimes (sexual, violent, and acquisitive), and whether this was further impacted by whether or not allegations led to a conviction. We recruited 403 community-based participants for a between-subjects experimental survey. We found support for the conclusion that people accused of and convicted for sexual offenses are more heavily stigmatized than allegations related to other crime types, and especially so when allegations involved child victims. Stigmatization took the form of greater levels of support for police-initiated notifications about allegations before conviction, increased desires for social distance, and attributions of negative personality traits. We discuss the theoretical and applied implications of these findings in relation to stigma research and issues related to anonymity for those accused of sexual offenses.
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Schalk T, Oliero J, Fedele E, Trousset V, Lefèvre T. Evaluation of Multidimensional Functional Impairment in Adult Sexual Assault Survivors, with a Focus on Its Psychological, Physical, and Social Dimensions, Based on Validated Measurements: A PRISMA Systematic Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:6373. [PMID: 37510604 PMCID: PMC10378924 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20146373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Sexual violence (SV) is widely prevalent around the world: according to studies, 18 to 51% of women and 1 to 9% of men experience it at some point in their lives. Yet, experiences of SV are rarely disclosed outside the private sphere. Pathologies, acute or chronic, can be associated with SV. The study of the links between SV and health is often fragmented, viewed through the lens of a specific pathology, yet SV certainly has an impact on the different dimensions of the functioning of survivors (physical, psychological, social, and so on), whether or not there is an identified pathology at the origin of this impact. No synthesis of the knowledge on functional impairment in adult sexual assault survivors has been identified to date. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review according to the PRISMA recommendations, focusing on the assessment via validated scales or standardized measurements of the different dimensions of functional impairment in sexual assault survivors aged 15 and over, excluding abuse in childhood and polyvictimization. We searched the Medline database from its inception to October 2022, identifying 1130 articles. Two evaluators carried out their analysis, and fifty-one articles were retained. In the end, only 13 articles were included. Their quality was assessed by referring to their compliance with STROBE recommendations. Of these 13 articles, only 4 have a quality level deemed to be satisfactory, and they relate to 4 dimensions of functioning: psychological, sexual, physical (pain), and social. The main results were that survivors reported increased restrictions of activities, sexual dysfunctions such as vulvodynia or dyspareunia, decreased social satisfaction and functioning, and decreased self-esteem and quality of life compared to the general population. To date, evidence for functional impairment is very limited, preventing researchers and clinicians from gaining clear and well-established knowledge about the functioning of sexual assault survivors. Research in this area needs to evolve urgently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibault Schalk
- AP-HP, Jean Verdier Hospital, Department of Legal and Social Medicine, Avenue du 14 Juillet, F-93140 Bondy, France
| | - Juliette Oliero
- AP-HP, Jean Verdier Hospital, Department of Legal and Social Medicine, Avenue du 14 Juillet, F-93140 Bondy, France
| | - Emma Fedele
- UFR SMBH, Sorbonne Paris Nord University, UFR SMBH, F-93100 Bobigny, France
| | - Victor Trousset
- AP-HP, Jean Verdier Hospital, Department of Legal and Social Medicine, Avenue du 14 Juillet, F-93140 Bondy, France
| | - Thomas Lefèvre
- AP-HP, Jean Verdier Hospital, Department of Legal and Social Medicine, Avenue du 14 Juillet, F-93140 Bondy, France
- IRIS-Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire Sur les Enjeux Sociaux, UMR CNRS 8156 Inserm 997 EHESS USPN, Campus Condorcet, 5 Cour des Humanités, F-93300 Aubervilliers, France
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5
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Baert S, De Buyser S, Van Belle S, Gemmel P, Rousseau C, Roelens K, Keygnaert I. Factors Related to Police Reporting in Sexual Assault Care Centers: Are We Underestimating the Role of Support Persons? Violence Against Women 2023:10778012231183659. [PMID: 37365905 DOI: 10.1177/10778012231183659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Few victims of sexual assault (SA) report to the police. Research on the role of support persons in victims' reporting is sparse. We address this gap by examining the association of victim, assailant, victimization incident, and support characteristics with reporting rates among victims attending sexual assault care centers (SACCs). Logistic regression results show that type of SA, delay between SA and presentation at SACC, and presence of an informal support person at SACC and SACC site are significantly associated with police reporting. These findings reveal the importance of targeting victims' support persons to alter reporting behavior among SA victims.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saar Baert
- International Centre for Reproductive Health, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Stefanie De Buyser
- Biostatistics Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sara Van Belle
- Health Systems and Health Policy Research Group, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Paul Gemmel
- Department of Marketing, Innovation and Organization, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Charlotte Rousseau
- Centre de Prise en Charge des Violences Sexuelles Bruxelles, Saint-Pierre University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kristien Roelens
- Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ines Keygnaert
- International Centre for Reproductive Health, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Ruiz AM, Moore KM, Woehrle LM, Kako P, Davis KC, Mkandawire-Valhmu L. Experiences of dehumanizing: Examining secondary victimization within the nurse-patient relationship among African American women survivors of sexual assault in the Upper Midwest. Soc Sci Med 2023; 329:116029. [PMID: 37352706 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
Despite calls recognizing the need for culturally sensitive responses to minimize the occurrence of secondary victimization for African American women following an experience of sexual assault, few studies have focused on hearing from African American women survivors about their experiences receiving healthcare services in a hospital setting following sexual assault. Employing critical ethnography as our methodology and using intersectionality theory as a lens, we centered the voices of African American women survivors about their experiences receiving nursing care in urban acute care or hospital settings in the Upper Midwest of the United States following sexual assault. In this qualitative study, 30 African American women survivors were interviewed using in-depth, semi-structured interviews about their post-sexual assault care. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. An important theme identified focused on survivors' experiences of dehumanization when receiving healthcare services following sexual assault. These experiences included: discrediting, dismissing, shaming, and blaming. To mitigate and prevent secondary victimization in the future, we present practice and education change recommendations for nurses, and healthcare providers more broadly, based on the voices of African American female survivors of sexual assault.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley M Ruiz
- Arizona State University, Edson College of Health & Innovation, 500 N. 3rdStreet, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA.
| | - Kaylen M Moore
- University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, 800 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh, WI, 54901, USA.
| | - Lynne M Woehrle
- University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, 800 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh, WI, 54901, USA.
| | - Peninnah Kako
- University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, 800 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh, WI, 54901, USA.
| | - Kelly C Davis
- Arizona State University, Edson College of Health & Innovation, 500 N. 3rdStreet, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA.
| | - Lucy Mkandawire-Valhmu
- University of Minnesota, School of Nursing, 308 Harvard Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
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Rosenow M, Munk N. Perpetuating Victimization with Efforts to Reduce Human Trafficking: a Call to Action for Massage Therapist Protection. Int J Ther Massage Bodywork 2023; 16:44-53. [PMID: 36866180 PMCID: PMC9949613 DOI: 10.3822/ijtmb.v16i1.775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Human trafficking guised as massage therapy businesses is a highly successful business model that creates independent but related victims beyond the women and girls forced into sex work. Massage clinicians and the massage therapy profession are also negatively impacted by the trafficking massage business model with over 9,000 established illicit massage businesses marketing services alongside professional therapeutic massage businesses. Credential regulation efforts advocated for by various massage-related professional organizations and regulating agencies have fallen short in their purported intentions to protect massage therapists and trafficking victims. Massage industry advocates continue endorsing massage therapy as a branch of health care although health-care workers are not generally considered or treated as sex workers. Sexual harassment research in direct patient care disciplines, such as physical therapy and nursing, points to a high patient initiated incident rate and transdisciplinary, detrimental mental health outcomes for clinicians. Reporting and debriefing instances of sexual harassment inside of health-care organizations, covered by The Civil Rights Act of 1964, promotes a victim-centered perspective to support the well-being of past, current, and pending victims. The massage therapy workforce is comprised of mainly female sole proprietors, creating a double vulnerability in their potential to experience sexual harassment. This threat is compounded by little-to-no protective or supporting systems or networks for massage clinicians. The priorities of professional massage organizations to depend on credentialing and licensing as their primary efforts to fight human trafficking, seems more to perpetuate the current system/expectations, leaving individual massage therapists responsible for fighting or reeducation deviant sexualized behaviors. This critical commentary closes with a call to action aimed at professional massage organizations, regulators, and corporations to protect massage therapists through a unified position, supported in word, policy, and action, against sexual harassment, and unequivocally condemns professional massage devaluation and sexualization in all forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mica Rosenow
- Indiana University School of Health & Human Sciences - IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN, USA,Corresponding author: Mica Rosenow, MS, LMT, Indiana University School of Health & Human Sciences - IUPUI, 901 W. New York St, Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA,
| | - Niki Munk
- Indiana University School of Health & Human Sciences - IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN, USA,Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM), University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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Chalmers K, Parameswaran R, Dussault N, Farnan J, Oyola S, Carter K. Impact of Sexual Assault Survivor Identity on Patient Care in the Emergency Department. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2023; 38:3244-3278. [PMID: 35658735 DOI: 10.1177/08862605221104522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Interactions between emergency department (ED) staff and sexual assault (SA) survivors can be a source of retraumatization for survivors, increasing their risk of posttraumatic stress and decreasing utilization of longitudinal medical care. Little is known about nationwide trends in ED staff attitudes and behaviors toward survivors, including the impact of survivor identity. We conducted a survey to determine if survivor identity influenced ED staff behaviors. A nationwide survey of SA patient advocates was conducted between June and August 2021. Advocates are volunteers or staff dispatched from rape crisis centers to support survivors during ED care. Advocates participated in an online survey to determine the frequency of observing six potentially retraumatizing provider attitudes and behaviors. Adaptive questioning was used to explore the impact of survivor identity on each attitude or behavior and which identity groups were more likely to be affected. Three hundred fifteen advocates responded to the survey. Less than 10% indicated that ED staff often or always convey disbelief or blame to survivors. Almost 75% of advocates indicated that they often or always observe ED staff showing empathy to survivors. Disparities were found in provider attitudes. Over 75% of advocates observed that survivors' mental health status or substance use impacted conveyed belief from providers. Patients who were intoxicated when assaulted, had psychiatric disorders, were Black, Hispanic/LatinX, or indigenous, or were not cis-females were more likely to experience disbelief. Patients who were white and/or cis-gender females were more likely to be pressured by ED staff to complete the forensic exam and/or report to the police. Our study documents disparities in ED staff behavior towards SA survivors according to survivor identity. Given that post-assault ED interactions are critical turning points in survivors' future medical processes, disparities in ED care may be linked to larger disparities in healing from trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen Chalmers
- Division of Biological Sciences, 12246University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Il, USA
| | - Ramya Parameswaran
- 166668University of California San Francisco Health, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Nicole Dussault
- Duke University Medical Center, 169103Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jeanne Farnan
- Division of Biological Sciences, 12246University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Il, USA
- Department of Medicine, 2462University of Chicago, Chicago, Il, USA
| | - Sonia Oyola
- Division of Biological Sciences, 12246University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Il, USA
- Department of Family Medicine, 2462University of Chicago, Chicago, Il, USA
| | - Keme Carter
- Division of Biological Sciences, 12246University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Il, USA
- Department of Medicine, 2462University of Chicago, Chicago, Il, USA
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Psychotic Misdiagnosis of Racially Minoritized Patients: A Case-Based Ethics, Equity, and Educational Exploration. Harv Rev Psychiatry 2023; 31:28-36. [PMID: 36608081 DOI: 10.1097/hrp.0000000000000353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The overdiagnosis and misdiagnosis of racially minoritized groups as having a primary psychotic disorder is one of psychiatry's longest-standing inequities born of real-time clinician racial bias. Evidence suggests that providers assign a diagnosis of schizophrenia and/or schizoaffective disorder according to race more than any other demographic variable, and this inequity persists even in the absence of differences in clinician symptom ratings. This case report describes the journey of one young Black woman through her racialized misdiagnosis of schizophrenia and the process by which interdisciplinary, health equity-minded providers across the spectrum of medical education and practice joined together to provide a culturally informed, systematic rediagnosis of major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Expert discussion is provided by three Black academic psychiatrists with expertise in social justice and health equity. We provide an evidence-based exploration of mechanisms of clinician racial bias and detail how the psychosis misdiagnosis of racially minoritized groups fails medical ethics and perpetuates iatrogenic harm to patients who truly need help with primary mood, trauma, and substance use disorders.
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McQueen K, Murphy-Oikonen J, Miller A, Chambers L. Correction to: Sexual assault: women's voices on the health impacts of not being believed by police. BMC WOMENS HEALTH 2021; 21:232. [PMID: 34082740 PMCID: PMC8176616 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-021-01380-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen McQueen
- School of Nursing, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Rd, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B5E1, Canada.
| | | | - Ainsley Miller
- School of Nursing, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Rd, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B5E1, Canada
| | - Lori Chambers
- Gender and Women's Studies, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Canada
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