ArticleBMC women's health2021
Sexual assault: women's voices on the health impacts of not being believed by police.
Article in BMC women's health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Evaluation of Multidimensional Functional Impairment in Adult Sexual Assault Survivors, with a Focus on Its Psychological, Physical, and Social Dimensions, Based on Validated Measurements: A PRISMA Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Living through disclosure: a descriptive phenomenological exploration of adult survivors' experiences of disclosing sexual assault to nurses.Journal of research in nursing : JRN · 2026Article
- Examining the Association between Heat Exposure and Crime in Cities across the United States: A Scoping Review.Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine · 2025Article
- Factors Related to Police Reporting in Sexual Assault Care Centers: Are We Underestimating the Role of Support Persons?Violence against women · 2024Article
- "Having One Person Tell Me I Didn't Do the Wrong Thing": The Impact of Support on the Post-Sexual Assault Exam Experience.Violence against women · 2024Article
- Are Sex Offending Allegations Viewed Differently? Exploring the Effect of Offense Type and Conviction Status on Criminal Stigmatization.Sexual abuse : a journal of research and treatment · 2024Article
- Experiences of dehumanizing: Examining secondary victimization within the nurse-patient relationship among African American women survivors of sexual assault in the Upper Midwest.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2023Article
- Emergency Department Preparedness to Care for Sexual Assault Survivors: A Nationwide Study.The western journal of emergency medicine · 2023Article
- Perpetuating Victimization with Efforts to Reduce Human Trafficking: a Call to Action for Massage Therapist Protection.International journal of therapeutic massage & bodywork · 2023Article
- Article
- Correction to: Sexual assault: women's voices on the health impacts of not being believed by police.BMC women's health · 2021Article
- Making encounters count: Healthcare professionals' experiences of providing care in Norwegian sexual assault centres.Women's health (London, England)Article
- Alcohol Intoxication, Sexual Misperception, and Sexual Assault Perpetration: The Role of Sexual Drive-Related Alcohol Expectancies.Applied cognitive psychologyArticle
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSexual assault is a prevalent crime against women globally with known negative effects on health. Recent media reports in Canada indicate that many sexual assault reports are not believed by police. Negative reporting experiences of sexual assault have been associated with secondary victimization and trauma among survivors. However, little is known about the impact that being sexually assaulted and not believed by police has on a survivor's health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to explore women's experiences of not being believed by police after sexual assault and their perceived impact on health.
methodsWe conducted open-ended and semi-structured interviews with 23 sexual assault survivors who were sexually assaulted and not believed by police. The interviews explored the self-reported health impacts of not being believed by police and were conducted from April to July, 2019. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and entered into NVIVO for analysis. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's analytic method.
resultsAnalysis revealed three salient themes regarding the health and social impact of not being believed by police on survivors of sexual assault: (1) Broken Expectations which resulted in loss of trust and secondary victimization, (2) Loss of Self, and (3) Cumulative Health and Social Effects. The findings showed that not being believed by police resulted in additional mental and social burdens beyond that of the sexual assault. Many survivors felt further victimized by police at a time when they needed support, leading to the use taking of alcohol and/or drugs as a coping strategy.
conclusionReporting a sexual assault and not being believed by police has negative health outcomes for survivors. Improving the disclosure experience is needed to mitigate the negative health and social impacts and promote healing. This is important for police, health, and social service providers who receive sexual assault disclosures and may be able to positively influence the reporting experience and overall health effects.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.