title: Increased attendance rates and altered characteristics of sexual violence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the attendance rates and characteristics of sexual violence presented at emergency services for rape victims, over a 10-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Incidence study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rape Trauma Service, within an emergency department at a tertiary referral university hospital. POPULATION. The total female population in Iceland.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical records on visits were reviewed and systematically coded. Annual attendance rates were calculated over time as number of visits per 10 000 female inhabitants aged 13-49 years. Characteristics of sexual violence, perpetrators and victims were compared between 1998-2002 and 2003-2007.
  
  
  METHODS
  Annual attendance rates and characteristics of sexual violence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 1153 visits, 828 (71.8%) were due to severe sexual violence (penetration). Annual attendance rates of all sexual violence increased from 12.5 to 16.9 per 10 000 women aged 13-49 (p<0.01). Attendance rates due to severe sexual violence increased specifically among women aged 18-25 (p<0.01). The proportion of assaults involving multiple perpetrators increased from 13.9% in 1998-2002 to 18.9% in 2003-2007 (p=0.05). With time, a higher proportion of victims had seriously impaired consciousness due to alcohol consumption (p<0.01) and had used illegal drugs prior to assault (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings point towards an increase in women's visits to specialized emergency services for rape victims, particularly in the age group 18-25 years. The increased role of multiple perpetrators, alcohol and illicit drugs in sexual violence calls for further attention.
authors.affiliation: Center of Public Health Sciences, University of Iceland.
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gisladottir
authors.affiliation: Center of Public Health Sciences, University of Iceland.|Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
authors.forename: Berglind
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gudmundsdottir
authors.affiliation: Center of Public Health Sciences, University of Iceland.
authors.forename: Ragnhildur
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gudmundsdottir
authors.affiliation: Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
authors.forename: Eyrun
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jonsdottir
authors.affiliation: Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
authors.forename: Gudlaug R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Gudjonsdottir
authors.affiliation: Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
authors.forename: Mar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kristjansson
authors.affiliation: Center of Public Health Sciences, University of Iceland.|Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Unnur A
authors.initials: UA
authors.lastname: Valdimarsdottir
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D011902:Rape / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs