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“Our study is about estimating the population level mental health impacts of sexual violence experiences in mid-adolescence and understanding whether and to what extent sexual violence contributes to the gender gap in mental health problems in adolescence,” study author Francesca Bentivegna told us. “We did this by examining the link between sexual violence and psychological distress, self-harm, and attempted suicide, in both girls and boys aged 14-17 years. We also estimated the effect of eliminating sexual violence at this stage (in a hypothetical scenario) on mental health problems.” [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Brain Imaging Behaviour looked at sexual assault and white matter hyperintensities among midlife women. “Adverse mental health implications of trauma and sexual assault have been studied extensively over the years, yet much of this research wasn’t spotlighted before the advent of the #MeToo movement several years ago,” study author Dr. Rebecca Thurston told us. “There has been some work, including my own research, which linked experiences of trauma and sexual assault to the underlying cardiovascular disease risk in women. However, much less is known about what these traumatic experiences may mean for a woman’s risk of serious brain disorders such as stroke and dementia.” [More]

On November 17, 2015, in an interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show, viewers were shocked to hear actor Charlie Sheen disclose that he is HIV positive. After numerous reports of Mr. Sheen having over 700 women, many of his ex-lovers were livid about the confession leading some to panic. [More]

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar spoke out for the first time on June 4th since reports emerged of their son Joshua molesting five victims, including several of his sisters. It was revealed that the fifth victim was a babysitter for the family (The Kelly File, 2015).Throughout the interview, Megyn Kelly questioned both Jim Bob and Michelle on their thought processes and emotions, as well as a timeline of the events. The Duggar family has been well respected in the conservative Christian community. [More]

Summertime is known to be a time of relaxation, fun, family time, and long and lazy days. It is also a time when children are a little more independent, as they are off with friends, away at camp, on vacations and field trips, and learning and trying new things. Generally speaking, parents are prepared to send children on their adventures. Their backpacks are armed with bug spray, bottled water, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, and with extras of everything just in case. But what is often missed is the opportunity to arm them with safety from those who may try to harm them. [More]

January 28th, two former Vanderbilt football players were found guilty on all counts of aggravated rape of an unconscious woman. The details of the story as reported in the Tennessean (Barchenger & Walker, 2015) were horrific. The rape occurred 19 months ago. The football players had taken photos and video of their sadistic acts and shared them with friends. The victim, who had been drugged, was unaware that she had been assaulted until video surfaced. [More]

What do you think of when you hear the words "sexual assault?" What comes to your mind when you are talking about the issue? Is it something that comes up in conversation at all, or do you try to avoid it on a regular basis because it's such an uncomfortable topic to explore? Have you or a loved one experienced sexual assault? Sadly, many people in the United States and around the world have been affected by sexual assault, either because it has happened to them or because it has happened to someone that they love and care about. [More]

Millions of men, women, and children are affected by domestic abuse every single year, and it's important that we understand what it is and how it can affect people for the rest of their lives. So, in this article, we're going to define domestic abuse and explore how it can affect those involved for the long term. [More]

Over the years I have had many patients who knowingly or unknowingly come to my office with the issue of child sexual abuse. One out of every three women and one out of every six men have been abused as a child in our society. [More]