The hidden sexual violence against older adults
Type de matériel :
88
This article examines society’s view of sexual violence in old age, by exploring ageism as a factor that could explain the current perception of later life sexuality and sexual violence against older adults. Although sexual violence is a widely studied topic internationally, there is little research focusing on older adults. Depending on the perspective and discipline, the prevalence of sexual violence against older adults ranges from 0.9 to 15 percent. Like younger populations, older people who have experienced sexual violence are also at greater risk of secondary victimization if their testimony is not believed. Secondary victimization consists in reliving the trauma via an event related or unrelated to the original trauma. Healthcare professionals are not trained to receive, identify, and refer their older patients who are victims of sexual violence. This article concludes by proposing several avenues for reflection regarding the model of a society in which we would like to live and grow old.
Réseaux sociaux