Sexual assault in dating relationships

Intrafamilial and extrafamilial sexual assault and its association with alcohol consumption

OBJECTIVE

Analyze the prevalence of intrafamilial and extrafamilial sexual assault in adolescents of Peru and its association with alcohol consumption.

METHODS

We used a two-step and stratified probabilistic sampling to select male and female students in secondary education from all over Peru. The study included data from 54,756 students with information on demographics, alcohol and drug use, and sexual assault. The statistical analysis considered the complex sampling and we conducted two independent analyses by type of sexual assault (intrafamilial and extrafamilial), stratified by the sex of the victim.

RESULTS

The prevalence of life of intrafamilial sexual assaults (5.4%, 95%CI 5.0-5.8) was similar to that of extrafamilial sexual assaults (6.1%, 95%CI 5.6-6.6). Alcohol consumption in the past year was associated with intrafamilial and extrafamilial sexual assaults that occurred in the same period after adjusting for confounders. Alcohol consumption in the past year was associated with non-physical and physical forms of intrafamilial and extrafamilial sexual assaults in the disaggregated analysis by type of assault. Alcohol consumption in the past year was associated with extrafamilial rape only among females (ORa = 2.8; 95%CI 1.3-5.9).

CONCLUSIONS

Sexual assault against adolescent males and females by family members is a frequent form of victimization that is associated with alcohol consumption in Peru. It is important to examine this form of victimization among adolescents, especially those who consume alcohol.

Sex parties: female teen sexual experimentation

Adolescent participants in a study aimed at exploring the nature and characteristics of girls' dating relationships revealed the phenomenon of sex parties. These teens defined a sex party as an opportunity to engage in sexual contact outside of typical dating relationships. Sexual activity could involve actual intercourse, but usually involved sex acts without vaginal intercourse. Data were collected through 22 semistructured interviews with female adolescents, ages 15-18. All the participants knew of sex parties, however, only a subgroup of these adolescents actually participated in activities loosely defined by teens as sex parties. Alcohol was common at these parties, but female teens asserted that they consumed alcohol willingly to relax, as opposed to being coerced to do so. Some teens expressed regret following participation in a sex party, although none reported sexual coercion or abuse.

[Prevalence of vulnerability and protective factors of sexual victimization]

English language abstract not available at time of publication.

The involvement in sexual coercive behaviors of Spanish college men: prevalence and risk factors

This study aimed to know the prevalence of sexual coercion toward women perpetrated by acquaintance Spanish college men, and some personal factors associated with the involvement in these behaviors to replicate the confluence model. An anonymous questionnaire was completed by 196 university students that included an adaptation of the Sexual Experiences Survey, and other scales to assess different attitudes, motives, and experiences associated with sexual aggression. About 15% of men admitted some involvement in sexual behaviors when the woman did not want it. The control and dominance needs, the personal disposition to impersonal sex, and empathy competency showed the strongest association with the involvement in coercive sexual behaviors. Empathy moderated the effects of control and domination needs and the impersonal sex in predicting sexual coercion. Overall, our data supports the confluence model.

A profile of adolescent females with a history of sexual assault in texas: familial environment, risk behaviors, and health status

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To describe the prevalence and correlates of sexual assault among adolescent females.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

SETTING

A university family planning clinic in south Texas.

PARTICIPANTS

Female adolescents <18 years who initiated care at a university family planning clinic in south Texas between June 28, 1992, and April 28, 1994. The adolescents' lifetime sexual assault experience.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Of the 791 adolescents interviewed, 167 (21%) reported a history of sexual assault. Sexual assault was found to be highly associated with multiple risky behaviors and depressive symptoms. Among assaulted adolescents, nonsexual risk behaviors (e.g., substance use) were more common among those who also experienced physical assault than among those who did not. Sexual risk behaviors (e.g., earlier age at sexual debut) and related gynecological infections (e.g., STDs) were more prevalent among women reporting forced sexual intercourse than in those who reported molestation only. Furthermore, adolescents assaulted by a stranger had participated in the most risky behaviors and reported the worst health status, while those assaulted by a date/acquaintance reported higher rates of inconsistent condom use and gynecological infections but lower rates of substance use and depressive symptoms than those assaulted by a family member.

CONCLUSION

A deeper understanding of the links between the characteristics of assault, risk behaviors, and health conditions may provide opportunities to design more individualized interventions.

Adolescent dating violence: prevalence, risk factors, health outcomes, and implications for clinical practice

The goal of this synthesis is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the literature associated with dating violence in adolescence. Previous research findings on the prevalence, risk factors associated with victimization and perpetration, and potential health outcomes of dating violence are discussed. The importance of designing developmentally and culturally competent dating violence prevention and intervention strategies in the clinical setting is emphasized. This review is intended to assist health care professionals to develop interventions in their clinical settings to prevent and reduce adolescent dating violence.

Forensic urinalysis of drug use in cases of alleged sexual assault

The results of 3303 analyses of urine samples, collected in an independent testing programme from individuals who claimed to have been sexually assaulted and believed that drugs were involved, were examined in detail. Of the samples provided, 2026 (61.3%) proved positive for one or more substances. Alcohol, either alone or in combination with other drugs, was by far the commonest substance found, being present in 1358 samples (67.0% of positives). Cannabis was the second most prevalent drug, present in 613 samples, (30.3% of positives). Detailed examination of the testing results does not support the contention that any single drug, apart from alcohol, can be particularly identified as a 'date rape' drug. Rather, the alleged sexual assaults may often take place against a background of licit or recreational alcohol or drug use, where alcohol and other drugs are frequently taken together. The extensive forensic database examined here does not support the concept of a commonly occurring 'date rape' scenario, in which the victim's drink is covertly 'spiked' with a tablet, capsule or powder containing a sedative-hypnotic. This research highlights the need for the early collection of forensic samples in cases of alleged sexual assault. Law enforcement agencies and health professionals should establish guidelines and procedures to ensure that appropriate forensic samples (blood and urine) are collected in a timely manner following allegations of possible drug mediated sexual assault.

Adolescent violence

Adolescents are the victims, perpetrators, and witnesses of violent acts in the home, at school, and on the streets. Adolescent violence describes a dynamic, destructive, and repercussive process. This article discusses the unique aspects of adolescent violence and the involvement undertaken by the emergency department when adolescent violence results in the need for emergency care.

What date/acquaintance rape victims tell others: a study of college student recipients of disclosure

The authors surveyed 828 college students and found that approximately one third (n = 282) of the respondents reported that one or more women had told them that they had been raped by their dates or acquaintances. The 282 respondents who knew 1 or more victims of date/acquaintance rape reported on a total of 396 victims. The number of victims identified by respondents ranged from 1 to 3 or more (1 = 73%; 2 = 19%, 3 = 5%, > or = 4 = 3%). Reactions to disclosure offered by these respondents were generally supportive of the victim. The respondents' reactions suggested that there is a continuing need to educate students about the incidence and risks associated with date/acquaintance rape and the possibility of disclosure, particularly by friends or dating partners, and brought out some possible helpful and some counterproductive reactions to such disclosures.

Sexual coercion content in 21 sexuality education curricula

Sexual coercion, a topic of relevance to school health personnel, may be as common in high school populations as in university populations. Twenty-one sexuality education curricula were examined for information on the topics of date rape, stranger rape, pressure, incest, sexual harassment, unwanted/inappropriate touch, and exploitation/victimization. Curricula scoring highest in total coverage also were the most comprehensive with six of the seven sexual coercion topics covered. Overall, pressure and exploitation/victimization received the greatest attention, while sexual harassment was not covered in any of the curricula. Common themes occurring within the coercion topic areas included guilt, communication/assertiveness skills, blame, drug use, premeditation, fear, sources of help. Results suggest sexuality education curricula have not responded to the increased concern regarding sexual harassment in schools.