Intentions to Seek Healthcare Following Sexual Assault
Understanding Stigma as a Barrier
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19488159 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Elizabeth Culatta (0000-0002-7968-4972, Augusta University, corresponding author), Carrie Reif-Stice (0000-0003-2546-1949, Augusta University), Kaitlin M Boyle (0000-0002-9994-6730, University of South Carolina) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 156-171 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Currents (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2329-4965 • E-ISSN: 2329-4973 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/23294965261449485 |
| OpenAlex | W7160893088 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 49 |
How do stigma, logistical barriers, and sociodemographic factors encourage or constrain intentions to access healthcare services following sexual assault? Using original survey data from a diverse pool of almost 900 eighteen to twenty-four-year-old women, we explore potential barriers to accessing three types of medical services often sought after a sexual assault: medical treatment, evidence collection for a rape kit, and getting tested for sexually transmitted infections or pregnancy. Findings suggest that both anticipated public stigma (e.g., “I would worry about health care providers judging me.”), the internalization of sexual assault stigma (e.g., “. . . people would think something negative about someone like me if they found out about the sexual assault.”), and logistical factors (e.g., access to transportation) are barriers to accessing medical services. Additionally, lesbian, gay, or bisexual respondents are less likely to access medical care or have evidence collected than their heterosexual counterparts. This study highlights the importance of reducing the stigma around sexual victimization to increase access to medical care
Health care · Medical care · Public health · Sexual assault · Sexual minority · Social stigma · Stigma (botany) · Worry · Child Abuse and Trauma · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies
Barriers to Services for Rural and Urban Survivors of Rape
The psychological impact of rape victims.
To Tell or Not to Tell
The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 Findings on Victimization by Sexual Orientation
The Intimate Partner Violence Stigmatization Model and Barriers to Help Seeking
Examining Effects of Anticipated Stigma, Centrality, Salience, Internalization, and Outness on Psychological Distress for People with Concealable Stigmatized Identities
“You are Not Alone”
“I Have Heard Horrible Stories . . .”
Campus and College Victim Responses to Sexual Assault and Dating Violence
“I Still Feel Like I Am Not Normal”
Disclosure of Sexual Assault Among Sexual and Gender Minorities
Physicians' Perceived Roles, as Well as Barriers, Toward Caring for Women Sex Assault Survivors
Organizational Bias in Gender-Based Violence Research
Too Ashamed to Report
Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Victims’ Reporting Behaviors to Informal and Formal Sources
Sexual Assault Support Services and Community Systems
I’ve Never Told Anyone”
An Exploratory Study of Rape Survivors' Prescription Drug Use As A Means of Coping With Sexual Assault
Deciding Whom to Tell
Stigma-Threat Motivated Nondisclosure of Sexual Assault and Sexual Revictimization
It Happens to Girls All the Time”
Barriers in seeking support
Social Reactions to Sexual Assault Disclosure, Coping, Perceived Control, and PTSD Symptoms in Sexual Assault Victims
The influence of forensic evidence on the case outcomes of homicide incidents
Advocates’ Perception of the Secondary Victimization of Rape Survivors by Law Enforcement, the Legal System, and Hospital Professionals
Coming out of the closet about sexual assault
Investigating the medical forensic examination from the perspectives of sexually assaulted women
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |