Sexual Violence and Alcohol Intake: A Population-Based Explorative Study in a Northwestern Italian Area

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Sexual violence (SV) is a major global public health concern. While socioeconomic factors and familial relationships have been widely reported to contribute to SV, the role of alcohol consumption should not be ignored. Indeed, alcohol can impair cognition, distort reality, increase aggression, and ease drug-facilitated sexual assault. This retrospective study aims to explore the relationship between alcohol consumption and SV by examining the prevalence, characteristics, and consequences of violence episodes. Materials and Methods: A total of 1481 women accessed the Rape Centre “Centro Soccorso Violenza Sessuale” in Turin, Italy between 2008 and 2019, with 223 reporting alcohol consumption before the assault. Results: The alcohol group had a younger age profile, predominantly within the 18–25-year-old category. SV incidents involving alcohol consumers were more likely to occur in public places or in someone else’s home, while the non-alcohol-consuming group experienced more violence in their own homes. Acquaintances and unknown individuals were primarily responsible, whereas partners were the most common perpetrators of violence against non-alcohol-consuming women. Alcohol consumers sought medical attention sooner after the assault and exhibited more symptoms and injuries, particularly of neurological origin. Concurrent use of recreational drugs was higher among alcohol consumers. The logistic regression analysis revealed higher odds of injury for Italian women and those in the 18–35 age groups after consuming alcohol. Conclusions: This study contributes to the understanding of the relationship between alcohol consumption and SV. The prevalence of alcohol-related sexual aggression is lower compared to that shown in previous studies. Nationality, age, and assailant identity influence SV dynamics. These findings can guide well-targeted interventions and prevention strategies to address SV and inform communities facing similar challenges.

Victims of drug facilitated sexual assault aged 13-24: a cross sectional study on the pool of users of a sexual violence relief centre in Northern Italy

“…Although covering a shorter period compared to the present study, the voluntary assumption of alcohol (87%) and drugs (43%) was frequent. A second study, conducted in the same centre, involved a comparison between survivors who were subjected to DFSA and a control group [ 41 ]. Interestingly, its findings show how DFSA was more prevalent when violence occurred in public places or in houses different from the one of the victims, and women aged 18–25 were considered the group at higher risk of victimization [ 41 ].…”

“…A second study, conducted in the same centre, involved a comparison between survivors who were subjected to DFSA and a control group [ 41 ]. Interestingly, its findings show how DFSA was more prevalent when violence occurred in public places or in houses different from the one of the victims, and women aged 18–25 were considered the group at higher risk of victimization [ 41 ]. In a study conducted in Denmark [ 42 ] 70% of all victims of DFSA between 2019 and 2020 were between the age of 15 and 25 and during 2020 62% of the overall victims of DFSA had voluntarily consumed alcohol, a figure lower than our results.…”