Association between experiencing rape, police reporting, and self-reported health among women visiting three gynecology clinics in Sweden.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the frequency of police reporting among rape victims based on two hypotheses: (1) victims of rape more often report poor health than those who have not been victims of any abuse, and (2) victims who report abuse to the police are more likely to state poor self-reported health than those who do not report any abuse.


METHODS
Cross-sectional questionnaire study.


METHODS
Three Swedish departments of obstetrics and gynecology.


METHODS
From an original sample of 2,439 women, those who had experienced rape and those who had no history of abuse were included (n=1,319).


METHODS
Analysis of associations between self-reported poor health, rape, and police reporting among rape victims were assessed by multivariate models adjusted for type of abuse, perpetrator, and sociodemographic factors.


METHODS
Odds ratios (ORs) for poor health among rape victims.


RESULTS
Rape was seldom reported to the police (23.5%, 44/187). Both hypotheses were confirmed; rape victims more often state poor health than non-abused women (adjusted OR 3.9; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.4-6.3), and women who had reported abuse to the police stated poor health more often than those who had not reported abuse to the police (adjusted OR 3.0; 95% CI 1.1-8.1).


CONCLUSIONS
Three of four rape victims had not reported any abuse to the police, and those who had were more likely to report poor health. Rape myths are prevalent in society and affect how victims of sexual abuse are treated both by formal and informal support providers, which in turn may affect the recovery and health of victims. Our results send an urgent message to the current debate on sexual abuse against women: Why do women not report rape to the police?
Davidsson
Johanna
J
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Gender and Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linkoping University, Linkoping, Sweden. johanna.davidsson@liu.se
Benjaminsson
Gabriella
G
Wijma
Barbro
B
Swahnberg
Katarina
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D030881:Disclosure; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D016495:Police; D011902:Rape / Q000523:psychology*; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013548:Sweden; D014932:Women's Health Services; D055815:Young Adult