Intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) is a prevalent phenomenon, yet an under-researched topic. Due to the complex nature of balancing love and fear, individuals who experience IPSV have unique needs and face unique barriers to seeking care. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the literature on help-seeking and barriers to care in IPSV. Articles were identified through PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Search terms included terms related to IPSV, intimate partner violence (IPV), domestic violence, sexual assault, and rape. The review was limited to the United States, and articles that were included needed to specifically measure or identify sexual violence in an intimate relationship and analyze or discuss IPSV in relation to help-seeking behaviors or barriers to care. Of the 17 articles included in this review, 13 were quantitative studies and four were qualitative studies. Various definitions and measurements of IPSV across studies included in this review make drawing broad conclusions challenging. Findings suggest that experiencing IPSV compared to experiencing nonsexual IPV (i.e., physical or psychological IPV) may increase help-seeking for medical, legal, and social services while decreasing help-seeking for informal support. Help-seeking can also reduce risk of future IPSV and decrease poor mental health outcomes. Barriers to seeking care in IPSV included social stigma, fear, and difficulty for individuals in identifying IPSV behaviors in their relationships as abuse. More inclusive research is needed among different populations including men, non-White individuals, nonheterosexual, and transgender individuals. Suggestions for research, practice, and policies are discussed.
Introduction Substantial disparities in the quality of post-sexual-assault (SA) care exist in the United States, particularly in rural areas. This study evaluates the implementation of the Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Telehealth Center, a program to improve SA care by increasing access to experienced sexual assault nurse examiners via telehealth, in three rural hospitals. Materials and Methods The Dynamic Sustainability Framework (DSF) guided the implementation of the intervention. Survey and implementation data were evaluated 1 year after implementation using a nonexperimental pre–post design. Outcomes include patient and nurse perceptions of telehealth, local site nurse (LSN) confidence, and hospital protocol/policy changes. Results Forty-one telehealth consultations were completed in the program's first year. An average of 34 system-level protocol changes were made per site. LSNs demonstrated statistically significant increases in confidence to provide SA care at 1 year. LSNs and telehealth sexual assault nurse examiners (expert consultants) reported that quality of SA care improved (87% and 83%, respectively). Patients highly rated the care they received (83%), reported telehealth improved care (78%), and reported feeling better after the examination (74%). Discussion Using the DSF for implementation supported a tailored approach and successful adoption and also allowed for program iteration based on lessons learned. Conclusions The Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Telehealth model resulted in improved local nurse confidence in provision of SA care, nurse perception of improvement in care quality, and high patient care experience ratings. These findings and the use of the DSF have implications for SA specialty care implementation in rural communities.
Intimate partner violence (IPV), the physical, sexual, psychological abuse or control by a former or current intimate partner, affects almost one third of women in the United States. IPV exposure can result in many negative outcomes including physical injury, increased stress, and depression. Currently, there is a growing body of literature examining the link between IPV victimization and poor heart health. However, there is little known on how IPV affects cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among young adult women and what outcomes associated with IPV victimization may be increasing this risk. A secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) was conducted to examine the association between past-year IPV exposure and 30-year CVD risk score among a representative sample of young adult women in the United States. Regression analyses were run to examine the relationship between IPV and 30-year CVD risk score. The results of the bivariate analyses suggested that past-year IPV exposure may have a small but significant impact on 30-year CVD risk score; however, this finding becomes insignificant when important covariates are introduced into the model highlighting the complexity of IPV and its co-occurring phenomenon. The findings of this study reveal that 30-year CVD risk in the context of IPV victimization should continue to be examined in this population as CVD risk may continue to grow as one experiences IPV. Future research should examine possible mediating factors in this relationship as well as biological markers that may help better understand this relationship.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.