(ISP Press Release, November 21, 2024; Cover Photo Credit: ISP)
The Idaho Statistical Analysis Center (ISAC) is pleased to announce the release of its research brief on the prevalence and health impacts of sexual violence in Idaho. The brief, Sexual Violence in Idaho: Prevalence and Health Impacts, utilizes data from the Idaho Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The data show that sexual violence is far more widespread than administrative data from law enforcement and victim service agencies indicates, and that victims of sexual violence experience adverse health outcomes at significantly higher rates than those who have never experienced sexual violence.
Key findings include:
- An estimated 13.6% of adult Idahoans (roughly 159,000 people) have experienced sexual violence at some point in their lives. Of those, about 13,000 were victimized during the 12 months prior to taking the 2021 survey, a much higher number than the 4,191 adults who received at least one federally funded victim service for sexual assault/abuse that year, or the 685 adults who reported a sexual assault to law enforcement.
- An estimated 13.5% of adult Idahoans have a history of childhood sexual abuse. The most common type of childhood sexual abuse was being touched sexually by a parent or other adult.
- Some demographic groups are disproportionately impacted by sexual violence. These include young adults (18 – 34 years old), individuals living in income-constrained households, females, and those who identify as LGBTQ.
- Individuals who have experienced sexual violence at any time in their lives had significantly higher rates of 11 adverse health outcomes than those who had never experienced sexual violence. These include multiple measures of poor physical and/or mental health, drug and/or alcohol use or misuse, and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) beyond childhood sexual abuse.
The brief, which includes detailed data for these and additional indicators, can be downloaded from the ISAC Publication Library at https://isp.idaho.gov/pgr/isac/.
The Idaho Statistical Analysis Center (ISAC) is located within the Pass-Through Grants and Research Department of the Idaho State Police. The mission of ISAC is to disseminate research, data and statistics related to crime, illegal drugs, victim services, and the administration of justice in Idaho. To learn more about ISAC, or to access other data dashboards and publications, visit our website at https://isp.idaho.gov/pgr/isac/.
