Are Sexual Assaults Related to Functional Somatic Disorders? A Cross-Sectional Study

Sofie Abildgaard Jacobsen; Lisbeth Frostholm; Cæcilie Böck Buhmann; Marie Weinreich Petersen; Eva Ørnbøl; Thomas Meinertz Dantoft; Anne Ahrendt Bjerregaard; Lene Falgaard Eplov; Tina Birgitte Wisbech Carstensen

doi:10.3390/ijerph20206947

Are Sexual Assaults Related to Functional Somatic Disorders? A Cross-Sectional Study

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Oct 20;20(20):6947. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20206947.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Research Clinic for Functional Disorders and Psychosomatics, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.
² Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
³ Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, 1172 Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁴ Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Capital Region of Denmark, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark.
⁵ Department of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institute, 2300 Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁶ Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health-CORE (Eplov), Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.

Abstract

An increasing number of sexual assaults (SAs) are being reported. This study investigated associations between SA and FSD, conceptualized as bodily distress syndrome (BDS), and five functional somatic syndromes (FSSs): chronic widespread pain (CWP), irritable bowel (IB), chronic fatigue (CF), multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), and whiplash-associated disorder (WAD). Participants (n = 7493) from the population-based cohort Danish Study of Functional Disorders (DanFunD) completed questionnaires on FSD, emotional distress, SA, and sociodemographics. Risk ratios (RRs) for each FSD and emotional distress were calculated in nine models with SA as the primary exposure using generalized linear models with binomial family and log link and were adjusted for other potential risk factors. The results showed that SA was associated with single-organ FSD (RR = 1.51; 95% CI = 1.22-1.87), multi-organ FSD (RR = 3.51; 95% CI = 1.89-6.49), CWP (RR = 1.28; 95% CI = 0.83-1.98), IB (RR = 2.00; 95% CI = 1.30-3.07), CF (RR = 1.81; 95% CI = 1.42-2.32), WAD (RR = 2.62; 95% CI = 1.37-5.03), MCS (RR = 3.04; 95% CI = 1.79-5.17), emotional distress (RR = 1.75; 95% CI = 1.21-2.54), and health anxiety (RR = 1.65; 95% CI = 1.10-2.46). Overall, SA victims experienced significantly more somatic symptoms than individuals not exposed to SA. Adjusting for physical and emotional abuse did not change the observed associations. Our results suggest a large impact of SA on the overall somatic and mental health of SA victims. Due to the cross-sectional study design, further studies are required.

Keywords: cross-sectional study; emotional distress; functional somatic disorder; functional somatic syndromes; sexual assault; somatic symptoms.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Chronic Pain*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Fatigue
Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic*
Humans
Irritable Bowel Syndrome*
Sex Offenses*
Surveys and Questionnaires

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Lundbeck Foundation (grant number R-155-2013-14070), The Danish Victims Fund (grant number 22-610-00195), the Tryg Foundation (grant number 7-11-0213), the Danish Rheumatism Association (grant number R144-A4180), and the Marilyn Brachman Hoffman Foundation (grant number #2021-1).