Adult victims of sexual assault: acute medical response and police reporting among women consulting a center for victims of sexual assault

Abstract

Background: The medical response to adult sexual assault should comprise: the collection of forensic evidence, the treatment of injuries, and follow-up counselling. In the past, victims of sexual assault reporting directly to the police may not have received this total medical care. The Copenhagen Center for Victims of Sexual Assault at Rigshospitalet, Denmark offers a 24-h service. Medical treatment and psychosocial follow up is offered independent of police reporting. The aim of this study was to assess whether adult sexual assault victims who reported to the police differed from those who did not report to the police.

Methods: Using clinical records, sociodemographics, characteristics of the assault, and type of preventive medical treatment received were obtained for 156 consecutive women consulting the Copenhagen Center (March 1st to December 31st 2000). Comparisons between characteristics of victims who reported to the police or not were determined.

Results: Ninety-four (60.2%) of the women reported to the police. Women who sought services within 24 h of the assault, had experienced use of force, were subjected to assault outdoors, and among whom nongenital injuries were observed were more likely to report to the police (p < 0.05). However, in the multivariate model these associations fell below significance, and only the type of perpetrator remained significantly related to police reporting. The adjusted odds ratio for police reporting when the perpetrator was a friend was 0.4 (95% CI 0.17-0.94). There was no statistical difference between the victims who did or did not report to the police to request prophylactic antibiotics or emergency contraception.

Conclusion: Observed injuries and requests for prophylactic antibiotics or emergency contraception were not influenced by whether the woman did or did not report directly to the police. Hence the need for medical treatment appears to be similar in the two groups, and available specialized care for victims of sexual assault should not be restricted to those who immediately report to the police.