Victims of drug facilitated sexual assault aged 13-24: a cross sectional study on the pool of users of a sexual violence relief centre in Northern Italy. in International journal of legal medicine / Int J Legal Med. 2024 Jul;138(4):1593-1602. doi: 10.1007/s00414-024-03197-0. Epub 2024 Feb 20.
2024
AOU Città della Salute di Torino
Tipo pubblicazione
Journal Article
Autori/Collaboratori (7)Vedi tutti...
Scotti L
Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Turin, corso Dogliotti 14, Torino, 10126, Italy.
Gino S
Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, Via Solaroli 17, Novara, 28100, Italy.
Canavese A
Centro Soccorso Violenza Sessuale, Presidio Ospedaliero Sant'Anna, Città della Salute e della Scienza, corso Spezia, Torino, 60 - 10126, Italy.
et alii...
Abstract
This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the association between drugs and alcohol intake and sexual abuse in adolescents, otherwise defined as Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA). We considered the survivors who accessed care at the Centre "Soccorso Violenza Sessuale" (SVS - Sexual Violence Relief Centre) in Turin (Italy), between May 2003 and May 2022. We found that 973 patients aged 13-24 among which 228 were victims of DFSA. Epidemiological and anamnestic aspects of the episode of sexual violence were examined, with a specific focus on investigating the alcohol and/or drug intake as reported by the victim, along with the results of the toxicological analysis. the study further accounts for the variations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on DFSA-related accesses. Our findings show that 23% of adolescents accessing care at SVS were subjected to DFSA. Six out ten adolescents knew their aggressor, at times a partner (10%) oran acquaintance (43%). In 12% of cases violence was perpetrated by a group of people (12%). Almost 90% of young victims described alcohol consumption, while 37% reported drug use at the time of the assault. Alcohol taken alone or in combination with other substances was the most detected drug in our sample throughout the period considered. Given the large use of psychoactive substances among adolescents, it is imperative to implement harm reduction strategies alongside educational activities aimed at fostering awareness about consent. Health personnel should be trained to manage the needs of victims of DFSA clinically and forensically.
Accesso banca dati bibliografica
Accedi alla scheda bibliografica del documento in PUBMED
PMID : 38374288
DOI : 10.1007/s00414-024-03197-0
Keywords
Gender-based violence (GBV); Forensic toxicology; Drug facilitated sexual assault (DFSA); Adolescents; COVID-19/epidemiology; Substance-Related Disorders/epidemiology; Alcohol Drinking/epidemiology; Sex Offenses/statistics & numerical data; Crime Victims/statistics & numerical data; Young Adult; Male; Sexual violence; Adolescent; Female; Cross-Sectional Studies; Italy/epidemiology; Humans; Substance use;