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Prevalence and nature of sexual violence in a gerontopsychiatric population in flanders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

A. Nobels ,
I. Keygnaert ,
E. Robert ,
C. Vandeviver ,
N. Van Den Noortgate  and
G. Lemmens
A. Nobels*
Affiliation:
International Centre For Reproductive Health, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
I. Keygnaert
Affiliation:
International Centre For Reproductive Health, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
E. Robert
Affiliation:
International Centre For Reproductive Health, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
C. Vandeviver
Affiliation:
Criminology, Criminal Law And Social Law, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium Research Foundation—flanders, FWO, Brussels, Belgium
N. Van Den Noortgate
Affiliation:
Geriatrics, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
G. Lemmens
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Sexual violence (SV) is an important public health concern which may induce important and long lasting mental health problems. However, studies on SV and its mental health impact on older adults and more specifically gerontopsychiatric patients are currently lacking.

Objectives

This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the prevalence, risk factors and mental health impact of SV in a gerontopsychiatric patient population.

Methods

Between July 2019 and March 2020 100 patients (66%F, 34%M) participated in a face to face interview on health, sexuality and wellbeing during their admission at an old age psychiatry ward in one general hospital and two psychiatric hospitals across Flanders, Belgium. Participation rate was 58%. Interviews were performed by a psychiatric trainee and especially trained master students in medicine.

Results

58% (65%F; 42%M) of the participants were sexually victimised during their life, 45% (51%F, 33%F) experienced hands-off SV, 43% (48%F, 33%M) sexual abuse with physical contact and 16% (6%M, 21%F) was raped. 7% were sexually victimised in the past year. Compared with non-victimized respondents, hands-on SV victims (incl. rape) described more symptoms of depression (p=0.007) and anxiety (p=0.003) and reported lower resilience (p=0.022).

Conclusions

SV appears to be common in the gerontopsychiatric population and is linked to even worse mental health outcomes. These findings confirm the long-lasting mental health impact of SV and highlight the importance of attention to (sexual) trauma in mental health care in old age.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

older adultsageingelder abuse and neglectold age psychiatry
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S138
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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