{
  "abstract": "Background Sexual assault often increases during crises, yet trends in United States (US) emergency department (ED) visits for sexual assault during COVID-19 remain unclear.Objective To examine demographic, incident and injury trends in US sexual assault presentations during early and late COVID-19 compared with pre-COVID-19.Methods This study analysed National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Programme (2014–2021) retrospective data. ED visits for assault (n=246 499) and sexual assault (n=22 752) were compared across pre-COVID-19 (January 2014–March 2020), early COVID-19 (March 2020–January 2021) and late COVID-19 (February 2021–December 2021). Demographic and injury trends were analysed via t-tests, analysis of variance or χ² tests, with national trends assessed using Joinpoint regression and weighted data in SUDAAN.Results From 2017 to 2021, while assault-related ED visits declined (−5.05% annually; p=0.003), sexual assault ED visits remained stable (−1.15% annually; p=0.57). During COVID-19, sexual assault cases decreased among 0–19 years (46.1% pre-COVID-19 to 37.3% late COVID-19) but increased among 20–34 years (36.0% to 40.3%) and 35–64 years (17.2% to 21.0%). From early to late COVID-19, cases increased among black (31.7% to 32.8%) and Hispanic (13.8% to 15.6%) populations but declined among white populations (49.5% to 47.7%). Assaults by parents (9.0% to 11.2%) and partners (10.9% to 13.5%) increased, as did poisoning-related (1.4% to 5.5%) and anoxia-related injuries (0.1% to 0.7%).Conclusions Despite the pandemic, ED visits for sexual assault persisted, with demographic shifts and increased injury severity (eg, drug-facilitated violence, strangulation-related anoxia). These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions during public health crises.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Division of Global Health Equity, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA",
        "Division of Women’s Health, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA",
        "Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Rose McKeon Olson"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Division of Women’s Health, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA",
        "Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA",
        "Trauma Imaging Research and Innovation Center, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Bharti Khurana"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Orthopaedic Surgery, Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Randall T Loder"
    }
  ],
  "title": "COVID-19 and sexual assault: trends in US emergency department visits—a cross-sectional analysis",
  "uid": "c2f54d07-c05c-5868-85f2-ecb5e7126c46"
}