Outcomes of Sexual Abuse of Vulnerable Adults

The sexual abuse of vulnerable adults is perhaps the most hidden of all abuses and represents a significant and lasting injury to those who experience it. Reports of this form of abuse vary from one to eight percent when considered in the context of all abuses. In this study of five states and seven agencies, 432 reports of the sexual abuse of younger and older vulnerable adults were investigated. The data suggest that interventions and outcomes of case investigations vary both by state and by investigatory agency. This poster presents data providing an explanation of these differences in the outcomes of younger and older persons reported as being sexually abused. Differences that contribute to the differing outcomes include age and gender of client, location of abuse, type of abuse, duration of the abuse, times spent during the investigatory process, substantiation of abuse, services offered, services refused, and outcomes for the perpetrator. These differences suggest that public health professionals have a significant role to play in the prevention of and intervention into the sexual abuse of these vulnerable individuals.