Sexual Violence Through Public Health Lens

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47203/IJCH.2025.v37i03.023

Keywords:

Sexual Violence

Abstract

Sexual violence is a major public health issue with substantial personal and societal repercussions. We don't fully understand the factors that contribute to sexual assault in different contexts because there is a dearth of evidence. Sexuality in India's medical curriculum is taught in a fragmented manner and in a non-standardized manner across several various disciplines. Gender inequity, income inequity, pathological families, emotional abuse are few of the associated factors with sexual violence. This article provides an in depth understanding of the various factors associated with sexual violence. We have proposed certain public health interventions to tackle the issue.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Tsai TF, Yeh CH, Hwang TI. Female sexual dysfunction: physiology, epidemiology, classification, evaluation and treatment. Urological Science. 2011 Mar 1;22(1):7-13.

Breiding MJ, Smith SG, Basile KC, Walters ML, Chen J, Merrick MT. Prevalence and characteristics of sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence victimization--national intimate partner and sexual violence survey, United States, 2011. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2014 Sep 5;63(8):1-18.

World Health Organization. Defining sexual health: report of a technical consultation on sexual health, 28-31 January 2002, Geneva. World Health Organization; 2006.

Dworkin ER, Krahé B, Zinzow H. The Global Prevalence of Sexual Assault: A Systematic Review of International Research Since 2010. Psychol Violence. 2021 Sep;11(5):497-508. doi: 10.1037/vio0000374.

Louison Vang M, Ali SA, Christiansen DM, Dokkedahl S, Elklit A. The role of age and mode of delivery in the STEPS intervention: a longitudinal pilot-study in treatment of posttraumatic stress symptoms in Danish survivors of sexual assault. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2020 Jan 13;11(1):1701778. doi: 10.1080/20008198.2019.1701778.

Magruder KM, McLaughlin KA, Elmore Borbon DL. Trauma is a public health issue. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2017 Oct 9;8(1):1375338. doi: 10.1080/20008198.2017.1375338.

World Health Organization. Global and regional estimates of violence against women: prevalence and health effects of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence. World Health Organization; 2013.

Chan B, Sachs CJ. Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2023 May;41(2):369-80. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2023.01.007.

Krishnamoorthy Y, Ganesh K, Vijayakumar K. Physical, emotional and sexual violence faced by spouses in India: evidence on determinants and help-seeking behaviour from a nationally representative survey. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2020 Sep;74(9):732-40. doi: 10.1136/jech-2019-213266.

GBD 2013 Mortality and Causes of Death Collaborators. Global, regional, and national age-sex specific all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 240 causes of death, 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Lancet. 2015 Jan 10;385(9963):117-71. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61682-2. Available from: https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673614604360.pdf

Rennison CM. Rape and Sexual Assault: Reporting to Police and Medical Attention, 1992-2000. Retrieved from the US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics: http://bjs.ojp. usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/rsarp00.pdf

Duhart DT. Violence in the workplace, 1993-99. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs; 2001 Dec 24. Retrieved from the US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics: http://www.bjs.gov/content/ pub/pdf/vw99.pdf

Polaschek DL, Ward T, Hudson SM. Rape and rapists: theory and treatment. Clin Psychol Rev. 1997;17(2):117-44. doi: 10.1016/s0272-7358(96)00048-7.

Långström N, Sjöstedt G, Grann M. Psychiatric disorders and recidivism in sexual offenders. Sex Abuse. 2004 Apr;16(2):139-50. doi: 10.1177/107906320401600204.

Ward T, Hudson SM, Johnston L, Marshall WL. Cognitive distortions in sex offenders: an integrative review. Clin Psychol Rev. 1997;17(5):479-507. doi: 10.1016/s0272-7358(97)81034-3.

Levenson JS, Willis GM, Prescott DS. Adverse Childhood Experiences in the Lives of Male Sex Offenders: Implications for Trauma-Informed Care. Sex Abuse. 2016 Jun;28(4):340-59. doi: 10.1177/1079063214535819.

Marshall WL, Marshall LE. The origins of sexual offending. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. 2000 Jul;1(3):250-63.

Salem L, Crocker AG, Charette Y, Seto MC, Nicholls TL, Côté G. Supportive housing and forensic patient outcomes. Law Hum Behav. 2015 Jun;39(3):311-20. doi: 10.1037/lhb0000112.

Hall GCN, Teten AL, DeGarmo DS, Sue S, Stephens KA. Ethnicity, culture, and sexual aggression: risk and protective factors. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2005 Oct;73(5):830-840. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.73.5.830.

Craissati J. Sexual violence against women: A psychological approach to the assessment and management of rapists in the community. Probation Journal. 2005 Dec;52(4):401-22.

Jennings WG, Zgoba KM, Maschi T, Reingle JM. An empirical assessment of the overlap between sexual victimization and sex offending. Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol. 2014 Dec;58(12):1466-80. doi: 10.1177/0306624X13496544.

Basile KC, Black MC, Breiding MJ, Chen J, Merrick MT, Smith SG, et al. National intimate partner and sexual violence survey: 2010 summary report.Retrieved from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Preventionand Control 2011. http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/NISVS_Report2010-a.pdf

DeLisi M, Kosloski A, Sween M, Hachmeister E, Moore M, Drury A. Murder by numbers: Monetary costs imposed by a sample of homicide offenders. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology. 2010 Aug 1;21(4):501-13.

Mgopa LR, Rosser BRS, Ross MW, Mohammed I, Lukumay GG, Massae AF, et al. Clinical Care of Victims of Interpersonal Violence and Rape in Tanzania: A Qualitative Investigation. Int J Womens Health. 2021 Jul 24;13:727-741. doi: 10.2147/IJWH.S301804.

Harden KP. A Sex-Positive Framework for Research on Adolescent Sexuality. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2014 Sep;9(5):455-69. doi: 10.1177/1745691614535934.

Olímpio LM, Spessoto LCF, Fácio FN Jr. Sexual health education among undergraduate students of medicine. Transl Androl Urol. 2020 Apr;9(2):510-515. doi: 10.21037/tau.2020.02.13.

Teixeira Santos AU, Fava Spessoto LC, Fácio FN Jr. Sexual Health Teaching in Basic Science Courses Among Medical Students. Sex Med. 2021 Feb;9(1):100309. doi: 10.1016/j.esxm.2020.100309.

Downloads

Published

2025-06-30

How to Cite

1.
Solanki R, Yadav P, Bahurupi Y. Sexual Violence Through Public Health Lens. Indian Journal of Community Health [Internet]. 2025 Jun. 30 [cited 2025 Dec. 5];37(3):496-9. Available from: https://www.iapsmupuk.org/journal/index.php/IJCH/article/view/3279

Issue

Section

Perspective

Dimensions Badge

Similar Articles

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.