NCJ Number
215070
Journal
Forensic Nursing Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Dated: Summer 2006 Pages: 75-83
Date Published
2006
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This pilot study identified predictors of physical injury in females over 12 years old who reported rape by a male perpetrator and were examined in emergency rooms of small hospitals in rural and urban communities in the northeastern United States.
Abstract
In the sample of 620 adolescent and adult females (mean age 23.6), injury was documented for 88.7 percent of the women. Only 10 percent of the women reported multiple perpetrators of rape. Multiple-perpetrator rapes were more likely than single-perpetrator rapes to have injuries. Race was not a significant predictor of injury. There was a higher likelihood of injury when the victim reported the presence of a weapon. Although increasing age was not predictive of injury, analysis of a sample of older women might provide more information on this issue. Forensic and medical history were documented by 10-12 forensic examiners who had received standardized training. The sexual assault services coordinator entered selected data from the medical chart into a computer database. Data were sent to the researcher by e-mail for analysis. The injuries documented encompassed both genital and nongenital injuries that included bruising, abrasions, lacerations, tears, bite marks, burns, and contusions. Direct binary logistic regressions were conducted with univariate predictors, the full multivariate mode, and backward regression in the Statistical Program for the Social Sciences. 2 tables and 43 references