Temporal and spatial analysis of notifications of sexual violence against male children and adolescents in Brazil, 2013 to 2022: an ecological study

Abstract

Objective To analyze the temporal trend and the spatial distribution of reported cases of sexual violence against male children and adolescents, and their relationship with municipal development in Brazil. Methods: This is an ecological study with data from the Notifiable Health Conditions Information System and the Municipal Human Development Indexes (MHDIs), from 2013-2022. Prais-Winsten regression was used for temporal analysis and the Moran Index for spatial analysis. Results: There were 39,967 reports of sexual violence against male children and adolescents. An increasing trend was found for Brazil as a whole (annual percentage change = 6.8; 95%CI 3.8;10.0). Spatial distribution showed direct correlation between high rates of violence and low MHDIs (p < 0.001). Conclusion We found a rising temporal trend in Brazil and spatial dependence of the rates of reported sexual violence in the municipalities.