Somatic health of 2500 women examined at a sexual assault center over 10 years

Mie-Louise Larsen; Malene Hilden; Charlotte W Skovlund; Øjvind Lidegaard

doi:10.1111/aogs.12903

Somatic health of 2500 women examined at a sexual assault center over 10 years

Mie-Louise Larsen, Malene Hilden, Charlotte W Skovlund, Øjvind Lidegaard

Department of Clinical Medicine

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Sexual assault is a public health issue with many potential short- and long-term consequences for the victims. We aimed to investigate somatic health of women before and after sexual assault.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: We included 2501 women who attended the Centre for Victims of Sexual Assault in Copenhagen, and 10004 women without a known assault experience (controls). Somatic diagnoses were retrieved from the National Health Registry and number of visits to general practitioners from the Danish Health Insurance Registry. Somatic data were assessed during the five-year period before and after the assault.

RESULTS: The incidence of several somatic disorders was found to be significantly higher for the exposed women than for controls, both before and after the assault. Rate ratios of main disorders before and after the assault were respectively: disease of circulatory and respiratory system: 3.2 (2.6-4.1) and 2.6 (2.1-3.2); epilepsy: 2.9 (2.2-3.8) and 4.1 (3.0-5.6) and disease of the liver: 3.5 (1.9-6.3) and 7.0 (4.4-11.1), respectively. The rate ratios of laparoscopic surgery: 1.5 (0.9-2.5) and 3.4 (2.3-5.0) and of cervical cancer: 0.8 (0.4-1.7) and 2.0 (1.4-3.0) increased significantly after sexual assault. Likewise, the number of visits to a general practitioner was significantly higher in exposed women both before and after the assault (16 vs. 10/year). Complications associated with childbirth were not statistically different between the groups.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest a higher somatic morbidity in women seen at a sexual assault center before as well as after the assault compared with controls.

Original language	English
Journal	Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica
Volume	95
Issue number	8
Pages (from-to)	872-8
Number of pages	7
ISSN	0001-6349
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/aogs.12903
Publication status	Published - 1 Aug 2016

Keywords

Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Case-Control Studies
Child
Denmark
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Middle Aged
Registries
Retrospective Studies
Sex Offenses
Women's Health
Young Adult
Journal Article

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1111/aogs.12903

aogs.12903Final published version, 233 KB

https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/aogs.12903

Cite this

@article{8ee31f1bf86b4c7ab5d9b52eb14d9f92,

title = "Somatic health of 2500 women examined at a sexual assault center over 10 years",

abstract = "INTRODUCTION: Sexual assault is a public health issue with many potential short- and long-term consequences for the victims. We aimed to investigate somatic health of women before and after sexual assault.MATERIAL AND METHODS: We included 2501 women who attended the Centre for Victims of Sexual Assault in Copenhagen, and 10004 women without a known assault experience (controls). Somatic diagnoses were retrieved from the National Health Registry and number of visits to general practitioners from the Danish Health Insurance Registry. Somatic data were assessed during the five-year period before and after the assault.RESULTS: The incidence of several somatic disorders was found to be significantly higher for the exposed women than for controls, both before and after the assault. Rate ratios of main disorders before and after the assault were respectively: disease of circulatory and respiratory system: 3.2 (2.6-4.1) and 2.6 (2.1-3.2); epilepsy: 2.9 (2.2-3.8) and 4.1 (3.0-5.6) and disease of the liver: 3.5 (1.9-6.3) and 7.0 (4.4-11.1), respectively. The rate ratios of laparoscopic surgery: 1.5 (0.9-2.5) and 3.4 (2.3-5.0) and of cervical cancer: 0.8 (0.4-1.7) and 2.0 (1.4-3.0) increased significantly after sexual assault. Likewise, the number of visits to a general practitioner was significantly higher in exposed women both before and after the assault (16 vs. 10/year). Complications associated with childbirth were not statistically different between the groups.CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest a higher somatic morbidity in women seen at a sexual assault center before as well as after the assault compared with controls.",

keywords = "Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Case-Control Studies, Child, Denmark, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Middle Aged, Registries, Retrospective Studies, Sex Offenses, Women's Health, Young Adult, Journal Article",

author = "Mie-Louise Larsen and Malene Hilden and Skovlund, {Charlotte W} and {\O}jvind Lidegaard",

note = "{\textcopyright} 2016 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.",

year = "2016",

month = aug,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1111/aogs.12903",

language = "English",

volume = "95",

pages = "872--8",

journal = "Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica",

issn = "0001-6349",

publisher = "JohnWiley & Sons Ltd",

number = "8",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Somatic health of 2500 women examined at a sexual assault center over 10 years

AU - Larsen, Mie-Louise

AU - Hilden, Malene

AU - Skovlund, Charlotte W

AU - Lidegaard, Øjvind

PY - 2016/8/1

Y1 - 2016/8/1

N2 - INTRODUCTION: Sexual assault is a public health issue with many potential short- and long-term consequences for the victims. We aimed to investigate somatic health of women before and after sexual assault.MATERIAL AND METHODS: We included 2501 women who attended the Centre for Victims of Sexual Assault in Copenhagen, and 10004 women without a known assault experience (controls). Somatic diagnoses were retrieved from the National Health Registry and number of visits to general practitioners from the Danish Health Insurance Registry. Somatic data were assessed during the five-year period before and after the assault.RESULTS: The incidence of several somatic disorders was found to be significantly higher for the exposed women than for controls, both before and after the assault. Rate ratios of main disorders before and after the assault were respectively: disease of circulatory and respiratory system: 3.2 (2.6-4.1) and 2.6 (2.1-3.2); epilepsy: 2.9 (2.2-3.8) and 4.1 (3.0-5.6) and disease of the liver: 3.5 (1.9-6.3) and 7.0 (4.4-11.1), respectively. The rate ratios of laparoscopic surgery: 1.5 (0.9-2.5) and 3.4 (2.3-5.0) and of cervical cancer: 0.8 (0.4-1.7) and 2.0 (1.4-3.0) increased significantly after sexual assault. Likewise, the number of visits to a general practitioner was significantly higher in exposed women both before and after the assault (16 vs. 10/year). Complications associated with childbirth were not statistically different between the groups.CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest a higher somatic morbidity in women seen at a sexual assault center before as well as after the assault compared with controls.

AB - INTRODUCTION: Sexual assault is a public health issue with many potential short- and long-term consequences for the victims. We aimed to investigate somatic health of women before and after sexual assault.MATERIAL AND METHODS: We included 2501 women who attended the Centre for Victims of Sexual Assault in Copenhagen, and 10004 women without a known assault experience (controls). Somatic diagnoses were retrieved from the National Health Registry and number of visits to general practitioners from the Danish Health Insurance Registry. Somatic data were assessed during the five-year period before and after the assault.RESULTS: The incidence of several somatic disorders was found to be significantly higher for the exposed women than for controls, both before and after the assault. Rate ratios of main disorders before and after the assault were respectively: disease of circulatory and respiratory system: 3.2 (2.6-4.1) and 2.6 (2.1-3.2); epilepsy: 2.9 (2.2-3.8) and 4.1 (3.0-5.6) and disease of the liver: 3.5 (1.9-6.3) and 7.0 (4.4-11.1), respectively. The rate ratios of laparoscopic surgery: 1.5 (0.9-2.5) and 3.4 (2.3-5.0) and of cervical cancer: 0.8 (0.4-1.7) and 2.0 (1.4-3.0) increased significantly after sexual assault. Likewise, the number of visits to a general practitioner was significantly higher in exposed women both before and after the assault (16 vs. 10/year). Complications associated with childbirth were not statistically different between the groups.CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest a higher somatic morbidity in women seen at a sexual assault center before as well as after the assault compared with controls.

KW - Adolescent

KW - Adult

KW - Aged

KW - Aged, 80 and over

KW - Case-Control Studies

KW - Child

KW - Denmark

KW - Female

KW - Follow-Up Studies

KW - Humans

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Registries

KW - Retrospective Studies

KW - Sex Offenses

KW - Women's Health

KW - Young Adult

KW - Journal Article

U2 - 10.1111/aogs.12903

DO - 10.1111/aogs.12903

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 27143091

SN - 0001-6349

VL - 95

SP - 872

EP - 878

JO - Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica

JF - Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica

IS - 8

ER -

Somatic health of 2500 women examined at a sexual assault center over 10 years

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this