TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2009//
TI  - Factors associated with suspected drug-facilitated sexual assault
JO  - CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal
A1  - Du Mont, Janice
A1  - MacDonald, Sheila
A1  - Rotbard, Nomi
A1  - Asllani, Eriola
A1  - Bainbridge, Deidre
A1  - Cohen, Marsha M.
SP  - 513
EP  - 519
VL  - 180
IS  - 5
N2  - BACKGROUND: There has been little systematic investigation of widespread reports of drugging and sexual assault. We sought to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with suspected drug-facilitated sexual assault. METHODS: Between June 2005 and March 2007, a total of 977 consecutive sexual assault victims underwent screening for suspected drugging at 7 hospital-based sexual assault treatment centres. We defined victims of drug-facilitated sexual assault as those who presented to a centre within about 72 hours of being assaulted and who provided at least 1 valid reason for suspecting that she or he had been drugged and sexually assaulted. We used logistic regression modelling to compare victims of suspected drug-facilitated sexual assault with other sexual assault victims, controlling for covariates. RESULTS: In total, 882 victims were eligible for inclusion in the study. Of these, 855 (96.9%) were women, and 184 (20.9%) met the criteria for suspected drug-facilitated sexual assault. Compared with other victims, victims of drug-facilitated sexual assault were more likely to have presented to a large urban centre for care (odds ratio [OR] 2.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.47-3.65), to be employed (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.34-2.76), to have consumed over-the-counter medications (OR 3.97, 95% CI 2.47-6.38) and street drugs (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.12-2.62) in the 72 hours before being examined and to have used alcohol before the assault (OR 4.00, 95% CI 2.53-6.32). INTERPRETATION: Suspected drug-facilitated sexual assault is a common problem. Sexual assault services should be tailored to meet the needs of those experiencing this type of victimization.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0820-3946
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.080570
ID  - ref1
ER  -