Sexual Assault

Sexual assault, also called rape, is a violent crime, and a complex public health problem with a high prevalence and immediate as well as long-term adverse physical and mental health consequences including sexual transmitted infections, depression and anxiety, substance use, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite increased attention and research, particularly on the sexual victimization experiences of women on college campuses in recent years, sexual assault is considered a silent epidemic, with a high percentage of unreported cases and poor conviction rates. Research has focused primarily on measuring the frequency of sexual assault incidents and indicates that women are disproportionately affected by sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence. Less is known about sexual assault perpetrated against men and among populations that may be at ...