Intrafamilial and extrafamilial sexual assault and its association with alcohol consumption

Relationship Between Sexual Abuse and Substance Use Among Students from Caribbean Colombian

Sexual abuse is a public health problem due to its negative impact on physical and mental health. This study aimed to determine the association between sexual abuse and the use of psychoactive substances among high-school adolescents in Colombia. A cross-sectional analytical study was designed in which tenth and eleventh-grade students were included. Overall, a history of sexual abuse was explored with the Trauma Symptom Checklist, and lifetime substance use was assessed with the United States Centers for Disease Control Youth Risk Behavior Questionnaire. The prevalence of sexual abuse was 17.4%, lifetime alcohol use was 77.4%, cigarette 22.4%, cannabis 11.6%, cocaine 2.7%, and other substances 5.1%. History of sexual abuse was associated with alcohol use (OR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.10-2.30), cigarette (OR = 2.08, 95% CI 1.51-2.85), cannabis (OR = 2.43, 95% CI 1.66-3.56), cocaine (OR = 2.51, 95% CI 1.25-5.04) and use of other substances (OR = 2.33, 95% CI 1.31-4.13). The history of sexual abuse is related to the use of substances in high school adolescents in the Caribbean Region of Colombia. More studies are needed to identify the impact of sexual abuse on short-term and lifelong mental health.

Girls victims of sexual aggression in Baixada Fluminense

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to describe the current situation of sexual aggression and assess the adhesion to ambulatory care follow-up.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study involving female children and adolescents aged 0-19 years, treated at the Center for Multiprofessional Care of Sexual Violence of the General Hospital of Nova Iguaçu, from 2014 to 2018.

RESULTS

Of the 453 children and adolescents, 264 (58.3%) were <14 years of age and 189 (41.7%) were 14-19 years of age. In both groups, 78% were black. School delay of >2 years was found in 15.6% of children in the age group <14 years and 40.5% of adolescents in the age group 14-19 years [p<0.001; OR=3.7 (2.1-65)]. In girls aged £13 years, abuse usually occurred at home (73.2%), which was perpetrated by one aggressor (91%) and known to the victim (91.2%). In adolescents aged ≥14 years, 84.1% of rapes occurred outside the home, practiced by one aggressor (74.8%), 57.8% were unknown, and in 91.2% of cases, there was use of physical force and/or verbal threats. The victims aged <14 years have 14 times more chance of experiencing aggression within the family setting [p<0.001; OR=14.3 (8.2-25.6)] and 16 times more chance of experiencing aggression from known persons [p<0.001; OR=16.2 (9.2-29.8)]. On the contrary, adolescents aged ≥14 years have three times more chance of being abused by more than one aggressor [p<0.001; OR=3.3 (1.8-6.1)].

CONCLUSION

Black girls, especially those aged <14 years, are in a situation of greater vulnerability for sexual violence, have less adhesion to follow-up, and often experience aggression in the household setting.

PROTAGONISM OF ADOLESCENTS IN PLANNING ACTIONS TO PREVENT SEXUAL VIOLENCE

ABSTRACT Objective: to investigate the knowledge and attitude of school adolescents regarding sexual violence. Method: a qualitative study with data gathering, based on Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of Perception, conducted in April 2018 with 12 adolescents from a state school in Recife, using the focus group technique. For data systematization, thematic content analysis was used in the following steps: pre-analysis, material exploration, treatment of results and interpretation. Results: three thematic categories were established: adolescents’ perceptions of sexual violence; reflective construction of adolescents on the factors of exposure to sexual violence; and facilitating aspects for the prevention of adolescent sexual violence. Conclusion: the perception of adolescents regarding sexual violence is influenced by cultural, structural, social, economic, psychological and biological aspects, which should be considered in the planning of actions aimed at preventing sexual violence for this public.