Barriers to Seeking Healthcare Services After Sexual Assault: A Scoping Review

Sexual violence by an intimate partner or by a stranger remains highly prevalent in the United States. Yet, the use of post-sexual-assault health care is still underutilized. Persons in vulnerable populations such as immigrants, LGBTQIA+, and Black women may experience additional barriers to care.

We sought to determine the extant research in this area, the methodologies used, and whether specific barriers exist for seeking sexual assault services. We sought to understand if barriers differed for vulnerable populations.

Peer-reviewed literature published before September 2023, written in English, conducted in the United States, and that included survivors of sexual violence and explored barriers to seeking care postassault (i.e., sexual assault nurse examiners) were included in the review.

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews protocols were followed. PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and PTSDpubs databases were used to identify literature that met the inclusion criteria, from which we selected 14 publications.

Much of the literature employed qualitative or mixed methods designs. Several studies focused on underserved minority groups, including immigrant women, Black women, and homeless youth. Common barriers existed on the intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community, and societal levels.

The literature provided substantive context for the multilevel barriers, all contributing to survivors remaining silent rather than seeking much-needed help. Although there is a need for additional research on barriers to sexual assault services specifically, the extant research supports strengthening multilevel, alternative approaches to deliver much-needed services.