Caring for Survivors of Interpersonal Violence in Prehospital Environments

It’s believed that over half of women (51%) and one out of every eight men will experience at least one attempted or completed sexual assault in their lifetime. One out of every four women and 8% of men will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime. Fifty to 80% of these survivors will know their attacker. Sexual assault isn’t a crime of dark alleys and masked strangers, but one that’s underrepresented in the public conscience and routinely minimized by the layperson and healthcare providers alike.1,2,3 Statistics show a system skewed towards perpetrators; for every 100 assaults that are reported, seven will result in a prison sentence. This is also a crime that’s heavily underreported; only 34% of sexual assaults are reported, making it the most underreported violent crime. Experiencing sexual assault increases the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, depression, alcohol and drug dependencies, repeated assaults and sexual victimization, and psychosomatic pain syndromes. Research shows that the experience that survivors have with their first disclosure of the attack can dictate the general course for future encounters, as well as predict the likelihood and severity of PTSD, depression, and other physical and mental sequelae of assaults. Sexual Assault The terms “rape,” “sexual assault” and “sexual violence” are often used interchangeably, and it’s important to distinguish between them to improve your ...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Trauma Exclusive Articles Source Type: news