Multiplicity of Violence Experiences Among Women Who Were Sexually Victimized: Findings from a Korean National Representative Sample

Background & Purpose : It is increasingly clear in child maltreatment literature that co-occurrence of multiple types of maltreatment is a norm rather than exception and this multiplicity of violence experiences is more important determinant of the children’s outcomes than other characteristics of maltreatment such as severity or chronicity. However, this phenomenon is relatively less studied among adult sexual violence survivors and more so in Korean population. It is still unclear whether this phenomenon of multiplicity is a unique phenomenon in the US or replicated in other countries. Utilizing the national representative data from the Korea Sexual Violence Study 2010, this study examined other types of violence experiences among women who have been sexually assaulted. Various types of violence in intimate relationship as well as maltreatment experiences in childhood were of interest in this study.

Method: This study interviewed total of 1,583 adult female subjects nationwide in 2010. Two hundred sampling units were stratified in proportion to 16 metropolitan areas and provinces using the 2005 national census data compiled by the Statistics Korea. Two-person teams visited each household and interviewed the member of the household whose birthday falls earliest in the year among those aged 19 or older.

Sexual assault: Subjects were questioned whether to have experienced sexual assault of 8 different types over a life course. In analyzing the result, sexual assault was categorized with its severity, (a) stalking, (b) unwanted light sexual touching and sexual harassment, (c) unwanted serious sexual touching, attempted rape and rape.

Intimate partner violence: 17 question of CTS(conflict tactics scale) was asked to measure violence by intimate partners such as spouse and boyfriend. Intimate partner violence is categorized into three types, (a) physical violence, (b) emotional violence and (c) sexual violence.

Child abuse: Child abuse was questioned in four categories of physical, emotional, sexual abuse and neglect.

Mental health, social relationships and family relationships are measured as output of exposures to various types of violence.

Results : 415 (39.9%) turned out to have had experienced one of six categories of sexual assault or intimate partner violence. 290 (18.3%) have had experience in two different categories of violence. 157 (9.9%) have had experience in three different categories. Females with severe sexual assault experience turned out to have significantly higher rate of experiencing intimate partner violence than the females who have experienced light sexual assault or stalking only. The more categories of violence one had experienced, the higher the rate of experiencing physical and emotional abuse in childhood. The subject group with 4 types of violence experience was worse in mental health than the group with no violence experience(p<.000).

Conclusions and Implications : The result of this study indicates the possibility of intimate partner violence victimization in females with sexual assault experience. The findings support the necessity of intervention for the multiple experience groups as they tend to be worse in mental health.