Language Impairment and Sexual Assault of Girls and Women: Findings from a Community Sample

Abstract

Both children and adults with disabilities face increased prevalence of abuse and assault, including sexual assault. Women and girls are disproportionately the victims of sexual assault in both disabled and nondisabled populations. Communication difficulties have been identified as a factor that may increase the vulnerability of individuals with disabilities to sexual assault. However, few studies have examined whether language impairment increases risk for sexual assault. This study reports on a community sample of children with speech or language impairment, followed to age 25. Sexual assault history was assessed based on two questions from the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Posttraumatic Stress Disorder module. Women with language impairment (n = 33) were more likely than women with unimpaired language (n = 59) to report sexual abuse/assault, controlled for socioeconomic status. Sexual assault was associated with higher rates of psychiatric disorders and poorer functioning. Women with neither language impairment nor a history of sexual assault had fewer psychiatric disorders and higher functioning than women with language impairment and/or a history of sexual assault.

Pattern of Female Sexual Assault in Qalyubia Governorate, Egypt, During the Period From 2009 to 2013

“…On the contrary, other studies found that victims with mental disability are at great risk for sexual abuse. 40,41 Considering the level of education of the female victims in this study, the highest level of sexual assault crime was found in the group with primary education followed by those who had attained secondary education, then illiterate victims, and the lowest level was found to be with high education. These results are in contrast with a study done in Dakahlia Governorate in Egypt, demonstrating that the illiterate (25.5%) and low educated (44.3%) victims were highly exposed to sexual assault more than 21 On the other hand, Vertamatti et al 9 found that most victims (45.1%) were in school or had already completed high school.…”

Traumatic experiences and life events in people with intellectual disability

“…518-519). [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]. This is the most recent and largest population-based study clarifying prevalence rates of mental-ill health in adults with intellectual disabilities.…”

“…In a broader sample, including participants with intellectual disabilities, Brownlie et al [34] found that participants (especially girls and women) with language impairments were more likely than those with unimpaired language to report sexual abuse, after controlling for differences in socioeconomic status. A study of life histories [35] suggested that the development of a self-injury/self-harm conundrum in individuals with severe intellectual disabilities might be a response to traumatic life experiences.…”

Financial Exploitation of Older Persons in Adult Care Settings: Comparisons to Physical Abuse and the Justice System's Response

“…Many researchers have demonstrated that various forms of disabilities place individuals at risk for violent victimization, with several studies showing a higher sexual assault rate among those suffering from different impairments (Brownlie, Jabbar, Beitchman, Vida, & Atkinson, 2007;Johnson & Sigler, 2000). One cannot dismiss the influence of health-related vulnerabilities on increasing the risk of financial exploitation (Aminzadeh, Dalziel, Molnar, & Garcia, 2009;Young, 2009).…”