TY - JOUR
T1 - Multi-disciplinary Evaluation of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) for better Health (MESARCH)
T2 - protocol for a 1-year cohort study examining health, well-being and cost outcomes in adult survivors of sexual assault attending SARCs in England
AU - O'Doherty, Lorna
AU - Carter, Grace
AU - Lutman-White, Eleanor
AU - Caswell, Rachel
AU - Jackson, Louise J.
AU - Feder, Gene
AU - Heron, Jon
AU - Morris, Richard
AU - Brown, Katherine
N1 - © 2022 Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by BMJ. Re-use permitted under CC BY. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, to view a copy of the license, see: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
PY - 2022/5/24
Y1 - 2022/5/24
N2 - Introduction Sexual violence is commonplace and has serious adverse consequences for physical and mental health. Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) are viewed as a best practice response. Little is known about their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Long-term data on the health and well-being of those who have experienced rape and sexual assault are also lacking. Methods and analysis This is a mixed-methods protocol for a 1-year cohort study aiming to examine the health and well-being in survivors of sexual violence after attending a SARC in England. Quantitative measures are being taken at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Post-traumatic stress (PTS) is the primary outcome (target N=270 at 12-month follow-up). Secondary measures include anxiety, depression, substance use and sexual health and well-being. Using mixed-effects regression, our main analysis will examine whether variation in SARC service delivery and subsequent mental healthcare is associated with improvement in trauma symptoms after 12 months. An economic analysis will compare costs and outcomes associated with different organisational aspects of SARC service delivery and levels of satisfaction with care. A nested qualitative study will employ narrative analysis of transcribed interviews with 30 cohort participants and 20 survivors who have not experienced SARC services. Ethics and dissemination The research is supported by an independent study steering committee, data monitoring and ethics committee and patient and public involvement (PPI) group. A central guiding principle of the research is that being involved should feel diametrically opposed to being a victim of sexual violence, and be experienced as empowering and supportive. Our PPI representatives are instrumental in this, and our wider stakeholders encourage us to consider the health and well-being of all involved. We will disseminate widely through peer-reviewed articles and non-academic channels to maximise the impact of findings on commissioning of services and support for survivors. Trial registration number ISRCTN30846825.
AB - Introduction Sexual violence is commonplace and has serious adverse consequences for physical and mental health. Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) are viewed as a best practice response. Little is known about their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Long-term data on the health and well-being of those who have experienced rape and sexual assault are also lacking. Methods and analysis This is a mixed-methods protocol for a 1-year cohort study aiming to examine the health and well-being in survivors of sexual violence after attending a SARC in England. Quantitative measures are being taken at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Post-traumatic stress (PTS) is the primary outcome (target N=270 at 12-month follow-up). Secondary measures include anxiety, depression, substance use and sexual health and well-being. Using mixed-effects regression, our main analysis will examine whether variation in SARC service delivery and subsequent mental healthcare is associated with improvement in trauma symptoms after 12 months. An economic analysis will compare costs and outcomes associated with different organisational aspects of SARC service delivery and levels of satisfaction with care. A nested qualitative study will employ narrative analysis of transcribed interviews with 30 cohort participants and 20 survivors who have not experienced SARC services. Ethics and dissemination The research is supported by an independent study steering committee, data monitoring and ethics committee and patient and public involvement (PPI) group. A central guiding principle of the research is that being involved should feel diametrically opposed to being a victim of sexual violence, and be experienced as empowering and supportive. Our PPI representatives are instrumental in this, and our wider stakeholders encourage us to consider the health and well-being of all involved. We will disseminate widely through peer-reviewed articles and non-academic channels to maximise the impact of findings on commissioning of services and support for survivors. Trial registration number ISRCTN30846825.
KW - HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION & MANAGEMENT
KW - MENTAL HEALTH
KW - PUBLIC HEALTH
KW - SEXUAL MEDICINE
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85130865251&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-057449
DO - 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-057449
M3 - Article
C2 - 35613767
AN - SCOPUS:85130865251
SN - 2044-6055
VL - 12
JO - BMJ Open
JF - BMJ Open
IS - 5
M1 - e057449
ER -