Sexual assault: women's voices on the health impacts of not being believed by police.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sexual assault is a prevalent crime against women globally with known negative effects on health. Recent media reports in Canada indicate that many sexual assault reports are not believed by police. Negative reporting experiences of sexual assault have been associated with secondary victimization and trauma among survivors. However, little is known about the impact that being sexually assaulted and not believed by police has on a survivor's health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to explore women's experiences of not being believed by police after sexual assault and their perceived impact on health.

Methods

We conducted open-ended and semi-structured interviews with 23 sexual assault survivors who were sexually assaulted and not believed by police. Th

SUBMITTER: McQueen K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8141152 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature