By Cassandra C. Nordenbrock
NEW YORK, Mar 02 (Reuters Health) -- More than one in five women attending
an STD (sexually transmitted disease) clinic say they have been sexually
assaulted at some time in the past, report UK researchers.
More than 60% of the sexually assaulted women continue to experience
symptoms of psychological distress, even though the assault occurred anywhere
from 1 month to 36 years before the evaluation, according to the report in the
journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.
"The present study suggests that the psychological effects of sexual assault
may be just as disabling as physical effects," said lead study author, Dr. Mime
Matthews, a chartered clinical psychologist at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital
Healthcare in the UK.
The findings agree with studies that found that rates of sexual assault may
be as high as one-third or more among women who attend STD clinics in major
cities. However, such high rates of sexual assault have not been reported in
smaller rural towns in the UK, according to the report.
In the study, Matthews and colleagues gave questionnaires to 268 women
visiting an STD clinic. The researchers asked the women about sexual assault, as
well as feelings of depression, anxiety, fearfulness, and symptoms associated
with post-traumatic stress disorder such as flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, or
images of the assault in dreams.
Twenty-two percent of the women said they had been sexually assaulted in the
past, and over a third of the women reported more than one sexual assault.
A history of previous assault and the age at which assault occurred appeared
to be associated with difficulty in psychological recovery from the incident.
"Disclosing the assault to more people, especially two or more, was
associated with more psychological distress. This would seem to reinforce the
importance of the quality of support offered to clients to aid in their
recovery," said Matthews.
Because so many sexually assaulted women continue to experience
psychological difficulties over time, it may help to have a clinical
psychologist at clinics in both rural and urban communities, the authors
conclude.
"Clinicians need to be aware of these statistics when assessing the medical
and psychological needs of women in sexual health clinics," said Matthews.
