http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Rape is shockingly common in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, where as many as one in four adolescent girls are raped each year. But a short self-defense course can dramatically reduce the girls' vulnerability to sexual assault, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and an organization called No Means No Worldwide. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-self-defense-kenyan-girls-rape.html Health Wed, 12 Jun 2013 08:48:16 EST news290245688 While only a small percentage of adult males who are victims of sex assault report the crime, a new study by Women's College Research Institute (WCRI) and the Ontario Network of Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Centres (ONSA/DVTCs) shows of those who do, an overwhelming majority—almost 90 per cent—use five or more services ranging from counselling to medical care and treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-adult-male-victims-sex-assault.html Health Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:13:22 EST news289581196 Women admitted to psychiatry wards experience high levels of violence and sexual assaults, according to a report released this week by the Victorian Mental Illness Alliance Council. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-sexual-assaults-psych-wards-urgent.html Health Fri, 17 May 2013 08:20:01 EST news287996890 A study by David Finkelhor, Ph.D., of the University of New Hampshire, and colleagues updates estimates and trends for childhood exposure to a range of violence, crime and abuse victimizations. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-trends-childhood-exposure-violence-crime.html Pediatrics Mon, 13 May 2013 16:00:02 EST news287658484 A new study led by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers is the first to identify a genetic risk factor for persistent pain after traumatic events such as motor vehicle collision and sexual assault. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-persistent-pain-stressful-events-neurobiological.html Medical research Thu, 02 May 2013 13:37:35 EST news286720647 (Medical Xpress)—A new study found that suspect age, alcohol use, and weapon use all influence whether a suspect uses a condom during sexual assault. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-condom-sexual-assaults.html Health Fri, 12 Apr 2013 08:00:06 EST news284971572 April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, but Kansas State University's Donna Potts thinks every month should focus on the problem—especially on college campuses throughout the world. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-sexual-assault-awareness-advocate-rape.html Health Thu, 04 Apr 2013 08:23:58 EST news284282628 (HealthDay)—More than half of all teens and young adults in the United States know a victim of dating violence or sexual assault, according to a new national survey. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-teens-afraid-intervene-sexual-assault.html Health Wed, 13 Mar 2013 13:10:02 EST news282398232 (Medical Xpress)—Viewers of primetime crime dramas, like NCIS, CSI or Law & Order, are more inclined than non-viewers to see themselves intervening on behalf of the victim of a sexual assault, according to recent research at Washington State University. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-crime-drama-viewers-aid-sexual.html Health Wed, 20 Feb 2013 02:10:00 EST news280548583 US war veterans on Monday suggested meditation to help heal the post-war mental disturbances that afflict a growing number of American soldiers, including possibly the ex-Marine who gunned down the country's most famous sniper over the weekend. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-war-veterans-meditation-ptsd.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 05 Feb 2013 05:00:03 EST news279261575 (AP)—Army leadership is looking to improve coordination between its mental health programs and other soldier-resilience efforts. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-army-mental-health.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:18:26 EST news279224302 The first ever review of abuse cases related to child death or serious injury in Northern Ireland will be launched at Queen's University today (24 January 2013). The review, Translating Learning into Action, was commissioned by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) and was carried out by researchers at Queen's University and the NSPCC. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-queen-nspcc-publish-northern-ireland.html Health Thu, 24 Jan 2013 00:20:01 EST news278184360 According to results of a new study by researchers at the University of Utah, military personnel experience increased risk of suicidal thoughts or actions if they were the victims of physical or violent sexual assault as adults. In contrast, undergraduate students experience increased risk of suicidal thoughts or actions if they were the victims of unwanted sexual experiences as children or adults. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-physical-sexual-assault-linked-suicide.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 18 Jan 2013 08:18:24 EST news277719488 Many high school students work in addition to going to school, and some argue that employment is good for at-risk youths. But a new study has found that placing juvenile offenders in jobs without ensuring that they attend school may make them more antisocial. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-young-dont-school-antisocial.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:00:06 EST news275164043 (HealthDay)—Underage drinking in the United States remains a serious public health issue, a new federal government report shows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-states.html Health Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:00:01 EST news273172799 An increasing number of women entering young adulthood engage in heavy drinking behavior, placing them at risk of developing alcohol use disorders (AUDs) as well as other negative consequences such as sexual assault and physical injuries. Prior research has shown that college students drink more than their non-college peers. A new study of the influence of impulsivity-related traits and drinking motives on symptoms of alcohol dependence (AD) among college women has found that an impulsivity trait called 'negative urgency' predicted increases in AD symptoms. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-college-women-impulsively-distressed-alcohol.html Addiction Thu, 08 Nov 2012 16:00:02 EST news271604595 Depression and post-traumatic stress disorder are commonly associated with sexual assault, but a new study from The University of Texas at Austin shows that female victims suffer from a wide spectrum of debilitating effects that may often go unnoticed or undiagnosed. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-psychology-reveals-unexamined-rape.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 09 Oct 2012 10:18:28 EST news268996698 Canada's Supreme Court on Friday decriminalized the non-disclosure of HIV status prior to sex where no realistic possibility of transmitting the potentially deadly virus exists. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-canada-high-court-lowers-bar.html HIV & AIDS Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:50:01 EST news268655541 (HealthDay)—Although most victims of sexual assault experience severe pain after their attack, fewer than one-third receive medication to ease their discomfort, according to a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-pain-sexual-assault-untreated.html Health Fri, 14 Sep 2012 15:50:01 EST news266852936 (HealthDay) -- Although dating violence is a recognized problem for U.S. teens, a majority of high school counselors say their school provides no training or guidelines for dealing with abusive romantic relationships, a new study finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-high-schools-lax-dating-abuse.html Pediatrics Mon, 09 Jul 2012 10:25:45 EST news261048339 Despite the fact that the majority of women presenting to emergency departments for care after sexual assault experience severe pain, very few receive pain treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-acute-severe-pain-common-sexual.html Health Wed, 20 Jun 2012 09:20:01 EST news259401493 Adult lesbian and bisexual women are more likely to report childhood abuse and adult sexual assault than heterosexual women, according to a new study by Dr. Keren Lehavot from the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, USA and her collaborators. Furthermore, the researchers' work shows that women who are more butch report more abuse in childhood, particularly physical and emotional neglect, while women who identify as femme, and have a more feminine appearance, report more adult sexual assaults. The work is published online in Springer's journal, Sex Roles. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-sexual-minority-women-victims-abuse.html Other Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:55:04 EST news258897289 (Medical Xpress) -- A new study by University of Georgia researchers demonstrates that several months before a female victim is sexually assaulted, her pattern of drinking alcohol influences her risk for unwanted sexual contact, ranging from unwanted kissing to rape. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-binge-sexual-assault-first-year-female.html Health Tue, 15 May 2012 07:17:50 EST news256285061 (Medical Xpress) -- According to the 2006 National Violence Against Women Survey, one in six women is a victim of sexual assault, a crime that Carol Anne Marchetti said is committed repeatedly by a relatively few number of perpetrators. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-sexual-assault-secret.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 12 Apr 2012 07:40:01 EST news253434243 (AP) -- The Obama administration says it is expanding the FBI's more than eight-decade-old definition of rape to reflect a better understanding of the crime and to broaden protections. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-redefines-rape-people-victims.html Health Sun, 08 Jan 2012 06:51:22 EST news245227854 Many young women who steer clear of alcohol while they're in high school may change their ways once they go off to college. And those who take up binge drinking may be at relatively high risk of sexual assault, according to a University at Buffalo-led study in the January issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-binge-freshman-women-tied-sexual.html Health Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:53:34 EST news242538801 A new review article published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review assesses the extent to which alcohol plays a causal role in sexual assault perpetration. Results found that men who are already prone to anger, who have hostile attitudes toward women, and who are in social environments that accept sexual aggression are most likely to engage in sexual aggression when intoxicated. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-intoxication-important-men-commit-sexual.html Other Wed, 07 Sep 2011 12:52:12 EST news234618724 Judith A. Linden, MD, associate professor of emergency medicine at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and vice chair for education in the department of emergency medicine at Boston Medical Center (BMC), has written an review article on the treatment of adult victims of sexual assault in an acute care setting that will run in the Sept. 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The article, which utilizes a clinical vignette to illustrate evaluation and treatment protocols, was written to educate primary care and emergency physicians about the best practice models of treating individuals presenting with sexual assault. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-busm-professor-outlines-victims-sexual.html Health Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:31:02 EST news234030638 Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common outcome of sexual assault among many teenage girls, but they do not necessarily cope by binge drinking, a new study finds. When they occur in these girls, PTSD symptoms, such as unwanted recollections of the assault, decrease over time. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-sexually-victimized-girls-ptsd-binge.html Health Wed, 27 Jul 2011 10:50:07 EST news230980111