It has been established that partner abuse and sexual assault take place more often and are indeed present in all races as well as social classes. Nonetheless, the issue is under-recognized by most physicians. These two issues have several harmful mental as well as physical consequences that are either long-term or short-term. Every two and a half minutes, a woman is assaulted in the United States of America. Victims of intimate partner violence or sexual assault suffer from mental illnesses for instance they are three times more likely to suffer from depression, six times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress depression. Additionally, they are 26 times more likely to use the drug, 34 times more likely to abuse alcohol, and are also more likely to commit suicide 4 times than national statistics.
It is worth remembering that the effects are unseen immediately and for this reason, it is important to seek counselling as well as medical attention as soon as possible. Globally women suffer from sexual, physical, verbal, emotional abuse. It is estimated that in three women one has been physically abused, coerced into sex, or abused in other ways in her lifetime. Although the rate at which women are abused is on the increase, very few incidences are reported to the relevant authorities.
Both sexual and partner violence share certain similarities; on the same note, they have certain distinct differences.
Partner violence and sexual assault share a number of physical, psychological as well as social consequences. For instance, in both, the victim more often than not suffers from trauma as a result of bruises, fractures as well as lacerations. Additionally, both acts result in chronic pain for example headache, abdominal, pelvic, chest as well as pain. Other associated consequences include hyperventilation syndrome, problems when eating as well as disorders when sleeping. There are also cases where the victim will suffer from heart-related problems, higher risks of delayed hypertension, and arthritis. In both, it is very challenging to collect evidence especially for sexual assaults cases (James, 2007).
However, the major differences between the consequences of the two cases of abuse rest on the fact that sexual assault leads to problems such as urinary disorders, recurrent virginal yeast infection as well as the possibility of being infected with sexually transmitted diseases and in very serious scenarios being infected with HIV and AIDS. Lastly, sexual assault may lead to unwanted pregnancy although there are emergency contraceptive pills offered to victims having >98% ability to prevent pregnancy (Donohoe, 2004).
For the victims of both sexual assault and intimate partner violence, there are certain challenges faced when they seek and engage in treatment. One such challenge is the lack of financial stability as well as sources of income. In situations where the abuser in the case of partner violence was the sole breadwinner and has been locked up in jail, it would be very difficult for the victim of the abuse to pay rent, fuel her car to go, and attend counselling. Similarly, other bills such as paying school fees for the children leave the victims torn on what to do in such a tight situation.
This will eventually make the victims drop charges against their abusers since they see themselves being limited in the scope of possibility. Another sort of barrier for the victims includes the difficulties of sharing information during the physical examination as well as an interview so that the relevant authorities are able to collect forensic evidence. It would be difficult for some to explain the kind or type of sexual activity they were forced to engage in. Lastly, there is no assistance both mentally and physically when undergoing treatment (James, 2007).
References
- Donohoe, M. (2004). Violence against women: Partner abuse and sexual assault. Hospital Physician, 3(25): pp. 24-31.
- James, R. (2007). Crisis intervention strategies. New York: Thomson Learning.