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IDSV Study

The IDSV study looks at health outcomes for interventions and evaluations of care for survivors of sexual violence in sexual and reproductive health services and other settings.

  • Scale of the problem

    Sexual violence is a significant public health concern, with more than one in twenty women experiencing rape or attempted rape. Certain groups, including women, ethnic minorities, gender and sexual minorities, and individuals with disabilities, are disproportionately affected. The consequences of sexual violence extend beyond physical health, impacting mental and sexual health, as well as educational and occupational outcomes.

Study background and aims

Study background

Although healthcare services play a crucial role in supporting survivors, there is limited evidence on the best methods to identify and support survivors of sexual violence. Additionally, there is a lack of clarity on the most appropriate ways to measure the effectiveness of interventions designed to support survivors.

Our aims of the project

This study aims to address these gaps by identifying meaningful health outcomes for survivors, thereby improving future healthcare interventions and services.

We aim to:

  • Identify the most appropriate outcome measures for interventions addressing sexual violence.
  • Collaborate with survivors, service users, healthcare providers, and stakeholders to assess meaningful health outcomes.
  • Establish best practices for survivor and stakeholder engagement in healthcare research.

Study overview

The study is structured into three work packages:

  1. Review of Existing Evidence - Systematically analyse published research and guidelines on health outcome measures for interventions related to sexual violence.
  2. Stakeholder Engagement - Conduct interviews with survivors, service users, clinicians, service managers, and commissioners to understand their perspectives on outcome measurement.
  3. Synthesis and Recommendations - Collaborate with stakeholders to co-develop recommendations for future healthcare interventions and developing future programme grant applications.

Funder

Our project is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Meet the team

Professor Louise Jackson

Chief Investigator
E-mail: l.jackson.1@bham.ac.uk
Staff Profile

Professor Jonathan Ross

Joint Chief Investigator
E-mail: j.d.ross@bham.ac.uk
Staff Profile

Rachel Caswell

Co-Investigator
E-mail: Rachel.Caswell@uhb.nhs.uk

Jasmine Sachdeva 

Research Associate
E-mail: j.sachdeva@bham.ac.uk  

Study location

The study is being run in the following locations:

  • Umbrella at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB): Birmingham and Solihull.