CDC: Sexual Violence Linked To Health Problems

The AP reports:

Both men and women who had been menaced or attacked in these ways reported more health problems. Female victims, in particular, had significantly higher rates of irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, frequent headaches and difficulty sleeping.

Here are the some of the other key findings, according to the CDC news release:

For women:

--High rates of sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence were reported by women.
--Nearly 1 in 5 women has been raped at some time in her life.
--One in 4 women has been a victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in her lifetime.
--One in 6 women has experienced stalking victimization during her lifetime in which she felt very fearful or believed that she or someone close to her would be harmed or killed. Much of stalking victimization was facilitated by technology, such as unwanted phone calls and text messages.

--Almost 70 percent of female victims experienced some form of intimate partner violence for the first time before the age of 25.
--Approximately 80 percent of female victims of rape were first raped before age 25.
--Female victims of violence (sexual violence, stalking, intimate partner violence) were significantly more likely to report physical and mental health problems than female non–victims.
--Across all forms of violence (sexual violence, stalking, intimate partner violence), the vast majority of victims knew their perpetrator (often an intimate partner or acquaintance and seldom a stranger).

For men:

--About 1 in 7 men has experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime.
--One in 19 men has experienced stalking victimization at some point during their lifetime in which they felt very fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed.
--Almost 53 percent of male victims experienced some form of intimate partner violence for the first time before age of 25
--More than one-quarter of male rape victims were first raped when they were 10 years old or younger.
--Male victims of violence (sexual violence, stalking, intimate partner violence) were significantly more likely to report physical and mental health problems than male non-victims.