Emergency Department Visits for Sexual Assault by Emerging Adults: Is Alcohol a Factor?

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Emergency Medicine
• Victimology

Background:

• Emerging adults (18-25) face a high risk of sexual assault.
• Limited Emergency Department (ED) data exists on alcohol-involved sexual assaults in this demographic.
• This study investigates alcohol consumption patterns in ED visits for sexual assault among emerging adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze Emergency Department (ED) visits for sexual assault in emerging adults.
• To determine the prevalence of alcohol consumption by patients during sexual assaults.
• To identify factors associated with delayed care in sexual assault cases involving alcohol.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of patients aged 18-25 presenting to an ED over four years.
• Data extraction included age, gender, delay in care, sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) evaluation, and alcohol consumption.
• Analysis categorized alcohol use based on age (< 21 and ≥ 21).

Main Results:

• 118 patients presented with sexual assault; mean age was 20, with nearly 70% under 21.
• Alcohol consumption was reported by 74% of patients < 21 versus 48% of those ≥ 21 (p=0.055).
• Patients reporting alcohol use were less likely to be evaluated on the day of assault (36%) compared to those not reporting alcohol (61%) (p=0.035).

Conclusions:

• ED sexual assault visits in emerging adults are more frequent in younger individuals.
• Alcohol use is more prevalent in patients under 21, correlating with delayed presentation for care.
• The link between sexual assault and alcohol use necessitates targeted primary prevention strategies for emerging adults.