Association between experiencing rape, police reporting, and self‐reported health among women visiting three gynecology clinics in Sweden

Abstract

Objective. To describe the frequency of police reporting among rape victims based on two hypotheses: (1) victims of rape more often report poor health than those who have not been victims of any abuse, and (2) victims who report abuse to the police are more likely to state poor self-reported health than those who do not report any abuse. Design. Cross-sectional questionnaire study. Setting. Three Swedish departments of obstetrics and gynecology. Sample. From an original sample of 2,439 women, those who had experienced rape and those who had no history of abuse were included (n=1,319). Method. Analysis of associations between self-reported poor health, rape, and police reporting among rape victims were assessed by multivariate models adjusted for type of abuse, perpetrator, and sociodemographic factors. Main outcome measures. Odds ratios (ORs) for poor health among rape victims. Results. Rape was seldom reported to the police (23.5%, 44/187). Both hypotheses were confirmed; rape victims more often state poor health than non-abused women (adjusted OR 3.9; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.4-6.3), and women who had reported abuse to the police stated poor health more often than those who had not reported abuse to the police (adjusted OR 3.0; 95% CI 1.1-8.1). Conclusions. Three of four rape victims had not reported any abuse to the police, and those who had were more likely to report poor health. Rape myths are prevalent in society and affect how victims of sexual abuse are treated both by formal and informal support providers, which in turn may affect the recovery and health of victims. Our results send an urgent message to the current debate on sexual abuse against women: Why do women not report rape to the police?Johanna Davidsson, Gabriella Benjaminsson, Barbro Wijma and Katarina Swahnberg, Association between experiencing rape, police reporting, and self-reported health among women visiting three gynecology clinics in Sweden, 2009, ACTA OBSTETRICIA ET GYNECOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, (88), 9, 1000-1005. ACTA OBSTETRICIA ET GYNECOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA is available online at informaworldTM: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00016340903147397 Copyright: Taylor & Francis http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/default.as

Correlates of disclosure of sexual violence among Kenyan youth

“…The overall low disclosure rate highlights the need for increased awareness of SV and available response services. Community norms have been shown to play a role in responses to disclosure and children’s willingness to disclose SV; research should further examine Kenyan attitudes towards SV (Davidsson et al, 2009). This study may inform the Government of Kenya’s efforts to strengthen the health, justice, and education infrastructures to respond to SV against children and to raise awareness about the availability and confidential nature of these services.…”

“…Children who experience SV perpetrated by a stranger are more likely to disclose SV in higher-income countries (Priebe & Svedin, 2008; Smith et al, 2000). This finding may be due to community perceptions that strangers usually perpetrate SV, implying that it may not translate to settings with different perceptions of SV (Davidsson, Benjaminsson, Wijma, & Swahnberg, 2009). Additionally, children may more clearly understand that the act is inappropriate when the perpetrator is unfamiliar to them (Smith et al, 2000).…”

Polyvictimization and the Associations Between Poor Self-Perceived Health, Dissatisfaction With Life, and Sexual Dysfunction Among Women in Estonia

“…These findings corroborate those of prior studies undertaken in Sweden, in which the same instrument for determining women's exposure to violence was used. Davidsson, Benjaminsson, Wijma, and Swahnberg (2009) demonstrated that women in Sweden who had been raped had more often poor selfreported health, and among those who had in addition been exposed to physical and mental violence, the association was even stronger. This finding is similar to the results of the present study: among women who have been exposed to all three forms of violence, the association with poor self-perceived health and limited daily activities was the strongest.…”

November notes on important gynecology and obstetrics

“…We have from time to time addressed the topic of violence to women and rape in AOGS articles (4–6). Cecilie Hagemann and colleagues in Trondheim and Oslo, Norway, write on this topic on pp.…”

“…The two pictures of a patient (published with her consent) say much about the topic, so having seen these you might be interested to return to the text! We have from time to time addressed the topic of violence to women and rape in AOGS articles (4)(5)(6). Cecilie Hagemann and colleagues in Trondheim and Oslo, Norway, write on this topic on pp.…”