Risk factors for traumatic physical injury during sexual assaults for male and female victims

This study presents the frequency and correlates of traumatic injury during sexual assaults for male and female victims. Sexual assaults (6,877 total, 6,213 among females, 664 among males) were reported in South Carolina from October 1991 to September 1994 through the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Incident Based Reporting System. Sexual assaults were defined to include vaginal rape, sodomy, and sexual assaults with objects. Among sexually assaulted females, 28.5% had traumatic physical injuries compared with 18.4% of similarly assaulted males. Risk factors for nongenital traumatic injury during sexual assault included: increasing number of assailants (females only), being sodomized (females only), weapon use by assailant, being kidnapped (females only), being assaulted by intimates or strangers (females only), African American race (males only), and use of alcohol or other drugs. Avoiding environments in which drugs and alcohol are abused may reduce one's risk of traumatic physical injury during sexual assaults.