What is the problem?
Rape and other forms of sexual violence are prevalent worldwide and are recognised as a pervasive and serious problem. Healthcare can play a central role in the recovery of survivors through the appropriate provision of services and support.
Survivors of sexual violence are likely to speak about their experience at some point in their lives – even if it takes weeks, months or even years.
Disclosure rates to healthcare vary however and recent insights from Scotland indicate a relatively low level of help-seeking.
Non-disclosure can leave survivors without the care and support that they may need following an experience of rape and/or sexual assault.
The evidence on help-seeking/disclosure within healthcare is limited with most research coming from North America leaving a clear gap in understanding the experiences of women in the UK and in particular Scotland.
What will this research do?
This research will focus on this issue with the aim to explore the experiences of survivors of rape and/or sexual assault in relation to help-seeking and disclosure to healthcare in Scotland.
By looking at survivors experiences and their experiences of help-seeking, it may be possible to understand areas for future improvement to the benefit of survivors.
To find out more about participating in the research, click here:
www.sv-research.com 