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Abstract
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Very few research projects have been conducted on the subject of rape in Iran compared with Western nations. Conducting studies in this field presents difficulties and challenges all over the world. Some of the many challenges faced by researchers undertaking studies in this field are locating potential participants without revealing to family and friends the purpose of the study or invading the privacy of potential participants, and the need to provide counseling to women who became upset by the interview once located and contacted.1
Mental disorders may occur after a traumatic event. For example, the most common cause of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among women in Iran is sexual assault. A study conducted in Iran suggests that the rate of PTSD in victims of rape in Tehran is 61.6 percent.2 Another study suggests the prevalence of PTSD in the rape victims of Kohgiloyeh and Boyerahmad Province is as high as 91.2 percent.3 Some researchers have indicated that 74.58 percent and 41.49 percent of individuals met diagnostic criteria for PTSD at the first and twelfth month following sexual assault.4 But the number of female victims of rape who seek help from medical professionals is very low.
In a project we conducted with female victims of rape who were referred to Zanjan Province Forensic Medicine Centers in 2022, we tried to identify the risk factors that lead to an increase in the probability of PTSD arising in these women using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) questionnaire. CAPS is an extensively validated and widely used structured diagnostic interview for posttraumatic stress disorder.5 Because of a number of difficulties we faced throughout the course of the study, however, we were unable to bring this project to completion (see below).
The Iranian Legal Medicine Organization, as an independent and specialized organization in the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the mandate of finding the truth and helping in the establishment of justice in society, provides expert opinions in the field of forensic medicine, based on scientific, legal, and juridical principles.6,7 The Legal Medicine Research Center of the Islamic Republic of Iran allows these specialists to conduct research related to this field.8 In case of sexual assault, the forensic physician will perform a thorough physical examination of the victim and, if needed, will collect samples. The physician will also complete a form composed of questions, such as when and where the sexual assault happened, how many assailants there were, whether and what type of penetration occurred, if the victim has menstruated since, and so on.
Forensic psychiatry is a special unit of the legal medicine organization. The main duty of forensic psychiatrists is determining the criminal responsibility of persons with mental disorders who committed crimes, but these specialists are not involved in examining and diagnosing the victims of crimes. In our study, however, psychiatrists from Zanjan University of Medical Sciences were allowed to work with female victims of sexual assault who were referred to forensic centers. These participants were interviewed using the CAPS-5 questionnaire and, if PTSD was evident, were referred to the clinics or emergency department of Shahid Beheshti Hospital for further evaluation and treatment. During the interview, if signs and symptoms of other mental disorders such as depression were present, or if the participant was evaluated as having a high risk of suicide, then the participant was referred to specialists who would visit and treat the patient for a fraction of the cost. ...
Language: en |