The Role of Skin Color in the Prevalence and Frequency of Genital Injuries After Consensual Intercourse

Lawson, Sarah

Monday, July 11, 2011

Sarah Lawson, PhD, RN
School of Nursing and Health Studies, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL

Learning Objective 1: Understand the importance of genital injury research findings in terms of adjudication on sexual assault cases.

Learning Objective 2: Discuss several of the limitations identified in injury interpretation based on skin color.

Purpose: Frequently, women present to the emergency room for medical care and evidence collection after a sexual assault. An important part of evidence collection includes documentation and interpretations of genital injuries. This study will examine if the prevalence and frequency of genital injuries are predictive of group membership in the light vs. darker skinned women when controlling for self reported pain and roughness in women after consensual intercourse. The study will also provide data to validate if an easy to use instrument for quantifying skin color is comparable to the Digital Image Analysis (DIA) computer analysis which has been used in previous research.

Methods: A binary logistic regression will be used to address whether or not the frequency and prevalence of genital injuries are predictive of group membership in light vs. darker skinned women when controlling for self reported pain and roughness For the injury tool validation, a comparison of the Skin Color Tool to the DIA will be done using a test/retest method.

Results: Forty-six women (18 to 40 years) with light skin (n=23) vs. darker skin (n=23) were seen within 24 hours of consensual intercourse. Injury detection rates, demographic data, and self reported pain and roughness have been collected. The results from the analysis of skin color comparisons in women who had consensual intercourse will be presented.

Conclusion: Understanding the effect of skin color on injury rates is an essential part of adjudication for sexual assault cases. If the injury rates in dark-skinned women are found to be lower, future research will be directed at determining if injury detection is more difficult or if injury rates are actually lower.

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