Advancing Trans-Affirming Practice to Recognize, Account for, and Address the Unique Experiences and Needs of Transgender Sexual Assault Survivors

2021 ◽  
pp. 152483992110091
Author(s):  
Janice Du Mont ◽  
Joseph Friedman Burley ◽  
Robyn Hodgson ◽  
Sheila Macdonald
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
Collaborative Relationships ◽  
Sexual Assault Survivors ◽  
Acute Health Care ◽  
Psychosocial Difficulties ◽  
Services And Supports

Transgender (trans) persons are sexually assaulted at high rates and often encounter barriers to equitable services and supports. The receipt of timely and appropriate postassault care, provided increasingly by specialized forensic nurses around the world, is critical in ameliorating the harms that accompany sexual assault. In order to adequately respond to the acute health care needs of trans clients and attend to longer term psychosocial difficulties that some experience, forensic nurses not only require specialized training but must also cultivate collaborative relationships with trans-positive health and social services in their communities. To meet this need, we describe our strategy to advance trans-affirming practice in the sexual assault context. We outline the design and evaluation of a trans-affirming care curriculum for forensic nurses. We also discuss the planning, formation, and maturation of an intersectoral network through which to disseminate our curriculum, foster collaboration, and promote trans-affirming practice across health care and social services in Ontario, Canada. Our approach to advancing trans-affirming practice holds the potential to address systemic barriers experienced by trans survivors and transform the response to sexual assault across other sectors and jurisdictions.

scholarly journals Canada’s history of failing to provide medical care for Indigenous children

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakhshan Kamran
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Current Status ◽  
House Of Commons ◽  
Canadian Government ◽  
Indigenous Children ◽  
History Of ◽  
Services And Supports

Abstract In December 2007, the House of Commons unanimously supported Jordan’s Principle, a commitment that all First Nations children would receive the health care products, social services, and supports, and education they need, in memory of Jordan River Anderson. However, the process of applying for Jordan’s Principle was convoluted and not transparent, leaving several cases not being responded to. The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal found the definition and implementation of Jordan’s Principle to be racist and discriminatory in 2016, ordering the Canadian government to make immediate changes. Failing to make changes to Jordan’s Principle, the Canadian government was found to be noncompliant with the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal orders in 2018. This article provides one case example of Jordan’s Principle that was not responded to, details on the current status of Jordan’s Principle, and information on the recent implementation of the Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families.

‘You should tell somebody’: An evaluation of a survivor stories blog project to motivate sexual assault victims

2021 ◽  
pp. 001789692110164
Author(s):  
Rachel E Riggs
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
Sexual Assault Survivors ◽  
Assault Victims ◽  
Positive Health Outcomes ◽  
Blog Posts

Objective: Sexual assault victims often do not disclose their assaults or seek positive health outcomes. The RAINN Survivor Stories project shares testimonials in the form of online blogs from sexual assault survivors to motivate and encourage others to come forward and disclose their assaults. This study aimed to better understand the themes present in the survivor stories to motivate victims to disclose their assaults and seek positive health outcomes. Design: A theoretical thematic analysis was conducted on blog posts created for the project to identify (a) how the posts tell survivor stories and (b) how the posts model positive health outcomes using social cognitive theory and the disclosure processes model as a guide. Setting: Online setting linked to the rainn.org website. Method: Blog posts were collected for inductive thematic analysis. Themes were identified based on their prevalence in the data and their pertinence to the research questions. Results: Emerging themes included (a) overcoming initial disclosure, (b) overcoming the lasting effects of victimisation, (c) utilising support and (d) advocating for others after assault. Conclusion: Findings offer insight to researchers and practitioners creating media messages for sexual assault victims and other stigmatised groups by expanding understanding of modelled positive health outcomes in media and the disclosure process of victims.

scholarly journals Health care utilization by women sexual assault survivors after emergency care: Results of a multisite prospective study

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-78
Author(s):  
Nicole A. Short ◽  
Megan Lechner ◽  
Benjamin S. McLean ◽  
Andrew S. Tungate ◽  
Jenny Black ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Health Care Utilization ◽  
Prospective Study ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Sexual Assault Survivors ◽  
Assault Survivors

scholarly journals Unmet Health Care Needs Among Children Evaluated for Sexual Assault

2006 ◽  
Vol 160 (1) ◽  
pp. 70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Girardet ◽  
Lauren Giacobbe ◽  
Kelly Bolton ◽  
Sheela Lahoti ◽  
Margaret McNeese
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Health Care Needs ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Unmet Health Care Needs

Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharine Stratigos ◽  
Nina Tioleco ◽  
Anna Silberman ◽  
Agnes Whitaker
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Care Needs

Persons with developmental disabilities (DD), such as autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, are at substantially greater risk of having comorbid mental illness compared to the general population. Their mental health care needs, however, are vastly undertreated. Contributors to this situation include the challenges of evaluating mental illness in individuals with DD; stigma associated with and systematic barriers against people with DD; communication barriers; inadequate training of health care workers; insufficient availability of community mental health services; and the complexity of the available social services and legal systems at the federal, state, and community levels. This chapter uses a case to review the different factors that contribute to irritability and problem behavior in a person who has autism spectrum disorder with intellectual and language impairment. Also reviewed is the complicated system of services and statutes that may be of assistance when working with this population.

Scope of the Issue

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Amie R. Newins ◽  
Laura C. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Supportive Services ◽  
Presenting Problems ◽  
Sexual Assault Survivors ◽  
Psychosocial Difficulties ◽  
Sources Of Support ◽  
The Common

The worldwide frequency of sexual assault and the associated psychosocial difficulties have led to sexual violence being deemed a serious public health issue. There is a growing understanding in the field that survivors’ outcomes following sexual assault follow unique trajectories and professionals need to conduct thorough, unbiased assessment to adequately capture survivors’ presenting problems and their person-specific contributing factors. Although survivors are increasingly disclosing their victimization, they still experience obstacles to reporting victimization and receiving services. For example, many survivors report that formal sources of support are unhelpful or even potentially harmful. With the goal of increasing access to affirming and supportive services, the remaining chapters of this book highlight many of the common issues that emerge when working with sexual assault survivors and cover best practices for receiving disclosures of sexual assault.

S31. Most Sexual Assault Survivors With Significant Posttraumatic Stress do not Receive Mental Health Care in the Initial Weeks After Assault

2018 ◽  
Vol 83 (9) ◽  
pp. S358-S359
Author(s):  
Jenyth Sullivan ◽  
Kristen Witkemper ◽  
Nathan Markiewitz ◽  
Jericho Cook ◽  
Arnav Singla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Sexual Assault Survivors ◽  
Assault Survivors

The Role of Reactions to Disclosure in Mental Health Among Survivors of Sexual Assault

2021 ◽  
pp. 23-34
Author(s):  
Amie R. Newins ◽  
Laura C. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Primary Reason ◽  
Sexual Assault Survivors ◽  
Social Reactions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Psychosocial Difficulties ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Negative Social Reactions

Although services and support have the potential to be helpful, a survivor’s trajectory toward recovery is contingent on the social reactions they receive. Given that fear of negative social reactions is the primary reason that sexual assault survivors delay disclosing or fail to disclose their victimization to others, we review numerous correlates of when and why survivors disclose their assault, typical social reactions survivors receive, the psychosocial impact of social reactions on survivors, and recommendations for ways providers can provide services that are more survivor-centered. Because nondisclosure limits the resources, services, and support available to survivors, it is important to understand what contributes to survivors’ decisions regarding if and when they tell others about their victimization. Furthermore, given the link between negative reactions and psychosocial difficulties, it is important to minimize the potential for a survivor to receive a harmful response from a provider.

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