A Source of Healthcare Disparity: Race, Skin Color, and Injuries After Rape Among Adolescents and Young Adults
Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Journal of Forensic Nursing
Volume
6
Issue
3
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
Publication Date
2010
First Page
144
Last Page
150
Abstract
Differences in anogenital injury resulting from rape may occur because of racial or skin color differences in adult women. It is critical to determine if these differences also are associated with differences in injury prevalence and frequency in adolescents and young adults. In a retrospective review of medical records, we examined whether Black adolescent/young adult females had different anogenital injuries as compared to White females following rape. Next, we examined whether skin color differences explained a significant amount of the racial difference in injuries. We reviewed charts of 234 female victims of rape ages 14 to 29. Overall injury prevalence was 62.8%. Race was significantly associated with frequency of injuries in several anatomical locations, with White victims having a higher frequency of injuries than Black victims. Skin color was significantly associated with injury frequency in many anatomical locations, with victims with light skin sustaining more injuries than victims with dark skin. Even when skin color was included in the relationship, race remained a statistically significant factor, suggesting that the relationship between race and injuries may be more complicated than merely a skin color difference that has been mislabeled a racial difference.
Recommended Citation
Baker RB, Sommers MS, Fargo JD, Shambley-Ebron D. A source of healthcare disparity: Race, skin color, and injuries after rape among adolescents and young adults. Journal of Forensic Nursing. Accepted 2009, Feb.
Comments
Originally published by Wiley-Blackwell. Abstract available through remote link. Subscription required to access article fulltext.
Note: Jamison Fargo was affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania at time of publication. Copyright of this journal is held by the International Association of Forensic Nurses.