Paediatric health care in the #MeToo era: Advocating for survivors of sexual violence

Azzopardi, Corry; Smith, Tanya

doi:10.1093/pch/pxy186

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 4 publications

(4 reference statements)

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“…Universal sexual health education with brief counseling has been shown to improve young people's knowledge about sexual violence and increase their use of relevant resources [18 ▪ ]. Pediatric HCPs should strive to empower all youth with knowledge about sexual health, consent, and setting and respecting boundaries [50].…”

Section: Prevention and Advocacymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unfortunately, survivors of sexual assault are also at high risk for a subsequent sexual assault; 8-24% of sexual assault survivors experience sexual revictimization over the following 4-6 months ]. Pediatric HCPs should strive to empower all youth with knowledge about sexual health, consent, and setting and respecting boundaries [50].…”

Section: Follow-up Care After Sexual Assaultmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…HCPs should raise awareness of sexual assault in their communities and help to publicize the availability of services for sexual assault survivors, especially in marginalized communities with less access [22]. HCPs can advocate to reduce policy-related barriers to accessing medical and mental health resources following sexual assault, to expand funding for accessible pediatric sexual assault services and education about sexual assault, and to strengthen the connections between healthcare services and other sectors such as mental health counseling and crisis services [22,50].…”

Section: Follow-up Care After Sexual Assaultmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A trauma-informed guide to caring for adolescents following sexual assault

Wiener

Fitzgerald

Einhorn

2021

Current Opinion in Pediatrics

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Purpose of review Sexual assault is common among adolescents worldwide. Survivors of sexual assault may experience various immediate and long-term effects on their physical and mental health. It is important that pediatric healthcare providers (HCPs) are aware of the high prevalence of sexual assault and recognize the impact on their adolescent patients. The aim of this update is to discuss how pediatric HCPs can embody a trauma-informed approach when caring for survivors of sexual assault across various settings. Recent findings All adolescent patients should be screened for sexual assault during routine clinical visits; in responding to a disclosure, providers should exhibit compassion, express validation, and help connect the patient to resources to aid in healing. Caring for survivors of sexual assault should ideally be multidisciplinary, involving treatment of the medical complications (including the possibility of pregnancy or infection) and mental health sequelae (including increased likelihood of depression, posttraumatic symptoms, and suicidality). Summary A trauma-informed approach can be applied to all aspects of caring for survivors of sexual assault, from screening for sexual assault and responding to disclosure, to providing acute and longitudinal care following sexual assault.

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Section: Prevention and Advocacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Follow-up Care After Sexual Assaultmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Follow-up Care After Sexual Assaultmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A trauma-informed guide to caring for adolescents following sexual assault

Wiener

Fitzgerald

Einhorn

2021

Current Opinion in Pediatrics

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergency Department Preparedness to Care for Sexual Assault Survivors: A Nationwide Study

Chalmers¹,

Hollender²,

Parameswaran³

et al. 2023

WestJEM

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Introduction Emergency departments (ED) provide trauma-informed care to sexual assault (SA) survivors and connect them with comprehensive services. Through surveying SA survivor advocates, we aimed to 1) document updated trends in the quality of care and resources offered to SA survivors and 2) identify potential disparities according to geographic regions in the US, urban vs rural clinic locations, and the availability of sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE). Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study between June–August 2021, surveying SA advocates who were dispatched from rape crisis centers to support survivors during ED care. Survey questions addressed two major themes in quality of care: staff preparedness to provide trauma-response care; and available resources. Staff preparedness to provide trauma-informed care was assessed through observations of staff behaviors. We used Wilcoxon rank-sum and Kruskal-Wallis tests to analyze differences in responses according to geographic regions and SANE presence. Results A total of 315 advocates from 99 crisis centers completed the survey. The survey had a participation rate of 88.7% and a completion rate of 87.9%. Advocates who indicated that a higher proportion of their cases were attended by SANEs were more likely to report higher rates of trauma-informed staff behaviors. For example, the recalled rate of staff asking patients for consent at every step of the exam was significantly associated with SANE presence (P < 0.001). With respect to access to resources, 66.7% of advocates reported that hospitals often or always have evidence collection kits available; 30.6% reported that resources such as transportation and housing are often or always available, and 55.3% reported that SANEs are often or always part of the care team. The SANEs were reported to be more frequently available in the Southwest than in other US regions (P < 0.001) and in urban as opposed to rural areas (P < 0.001). Conclusion Our study indicates that support from sexual assault nurse examiners is highly associated with trauma-informed staff behaviors and comprehensive resources. Urban-rural and regional disparities exist regarding access to SANEs, suggesting that elevating nationwide quality and equity in care of survivors of sexual assault requires increased investments in SANE training and coverage.

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“…19 Additionally, there are no nationwide perspectives on the quality of care offered to SA patients in EDs in the wake of societal shifts such as the #MeToo movement, which has led to changes in societal perceptions of survivors and their treatment in other medical settings. [20][21][22] When studying nationwide trends and potential disparities in ED care of SA survivors, patient advocates can serve as reliable sources of information. 8 As observers of numerous SA ED cases, patient advocates have valuable insight into SA patients' ED experiences, and their nationwide presence allows for widespread data collection.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%