A Study on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs of Sri Lankan Forensic Practitioners towards Sexual Assault Survivors

Introduction: Sexual assault is a global problem with impacts on physical/ mental health. Sexual assault survivors experience negative social reactions such as stigmatization and blame attribution. Negative social reactions can lead to detrimental effects on mental health. It has been shown that negative reactions exist among the service providers for this group. This study examines the perception of forensic practitioners regarding sexual assault survivors.

 

Methodology: An online questionnaire comprised of 22 questions was sent out to forensic practitioners of Sri Lanka, who are the primary contacts of sexual assault survivors in the hospital setting. The questions addressed knowledge, attitudes and beliefs towards the sexual assault survivors.

 

Results: A sample of 51 responded to the questionnaire out of more than 100 invitees. Only 46% of the forensic practitioners reported that they never feel reluctant to examine sexual assault cases. An average of 71% responded positively to all the correct statements regarding knowledge. The average percentage of participants who responded negatively to the negative statements regarding attitudes/ believes was 57%.  A percentage of 39% responded as “agree” or “strongly agree” for the two positive statements regarding attitudes/ believes.

 

Conclusion: The findings of our study highlight the requirement of training programs and further studies to address the negative beliefs and attitudes among the primary health contacts of sexual assault survivors.