Immediate and Delayed Treatment Seeking Among Adult Sexual Assault Victims

Abstract

There is a growing body of literature which seeks to better understand the needs of sexual assault victims presenting for specialized treatment. This study explored aspects of immediate and delayed treatment seeking among 1118 women who presented for treatment to a specialized sexual assault care centre within a large urban hospital. Variables related to demographic and assault-specific characteristics were examined for association with immediate (within 12 hours) or delayed (after 12 hours) treatment seeking. Results indicate the severity of the attack prompted women to seek treatment earlier and that women who were assaulted by a known perpetrator were more likely to delay seeking assistance. Findings are conceptualized under the rubric of sociological and feminist frameworks with suggestions for additional research.

Assault History and Follow-Up Contact of Women Survivors of Recent Sexual Assault

“…Women who experience coercion are more likely to seek treatment earlier, and coercion has been significantly associated with increased utilization of forensic medical procedures in women seeking immediate, postassault, medical-legal examination and services (Dunlap, Brazeau, Stermac, & Addison, 2004;Millar et al, 2002). Previous studies have identified that the use of force and threat should be documented to use in court testimony; documentation has been significantly associated with successful prosecution (Gray-Eurom, Seaberg, & Wears, 2002).…”

“…Women who were assaulted by strangers had increased symptoms of anxiety (Bownes et al, 1991;Ullman & Siegel, 1993) and were more likely to seek help after a sexual assault or to report a sexual assault (Feldhaus, Houry, & Kaminsky, 2000;Jones, Wynn, Kroeze, Dunnuck, & Rossman, 2004;Millar, Stermac, & Addison, 2002;Schei, Sidenius, Lundvall, & Otteson, 2003).…”

La prise en charge des victimes d’agression sexuelle au CAUVA : une urgence psychologique

“…En dépit de la variabilité de leurs répercussions possibles [12], dont dépend la plus ou moins grande vulnérabilité psychique antérieure à l'effraction traumatique, ce qui fonde le vécu subjectif de chacun face à l'évènement traumatogène, les violences sexuelles renvoient toujours le sujet à un court-circuit des processus de mentalisation, à la confrontation à l'expérience du néant et de la mort.…”

What factors predict women's disclosure of sexual assault to mental health professionals?

“…Prior research on the relationship between assault characteristics and mental health service seeking has concentrated mainly on the victim-offender relationship and shows that victims of stranger rape are both more likely to seek help and more likely to do so sooner after assault~Millar, Stermac, & Addison, 2002;Stewart, Hughes, Frank, Anderson, Kendall, & West, 1987!. Women whose sexual assault experiences do not fit with the conventional, stereotyped definition of rape often do not label their experiences as rapes~Koss, 1985!. Some women may not define their sexual assault experiences as rapes because their offenders were acquaintances or because they were intoxicated at the time of the assault.…”