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Abstract
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The Me Too Movement has facilitated an international conversation on sexual harassment and sexual assault, paving the way for change.1 This topic - once shrouded in secrecy, silence and shame - is currently under the spotlight, challenging society in a new and dynamic way. With open dialogue and readily accessible information, the need for healthcare professionals to know more and do more is compelling. Thus, it is time to reflect on the role that physiotherapists may play, either explicitly or implicitly, in the management of people who have undergone sexual assault. The intent of this editorial is to raise awareness and demonstrate a need for specific skills and training to meet the complex needs of women who are survivors of sexual assault trauma. The primary focus is on women's experiences; men, however, may be similarly impacted.
In Australia, a population survey conducted in 2016 found that one in every two women experienced sexual harassment.2 Sexual harassment includes a range of unwanted behaviours such as touching, kissing, fondling and showing or sending sexually offensive material via text, email or social media.2,3 Sexual assault, on the other hand, is an act of a sexual nature that involves threat, intimidation and physical force, carried out against a person's will and includes rape, attempted rape and/or indecent assault.3 One in six women have experienced a sexual assault in Australia, although if childhood sexual abuse is included, this ratio becomes one in four women.2,3 The terms sexual assault and sexual abuse (often associated with behaviour toward children, not adults) are often used interchangeably in the literature. For the purposes of this paper, the term sexual assault is used and encompasses rape, sexual abuse and assault.
Sexual assault impacts on a person's physical, social, emotional and psychological health. A systematic review of international papers, including over three million participants, reported that sexual assault had a significant association with a lifetime diagnosis of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, eating disorders, sleep disorders and suicide attempts.4 Similarly, Paras et al5 found a statistically significant association between women with a history of rape and a subsequent diagnosis of fibromyalgia, chronic pelvic pain and gastrointestinal disorders. Indeed, any exposure to trauma - be it psychological, emotional, physical or sexual in nature - results in an individual being 2.7 times more likely to experience a somatic syndrome than if they had no exposure to trauma.6 These last two studies were systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies conducted internationally...
Language: en |