Introduction
Forensic nurse examiners provide medical-forensic exams (MFEs, sometimes called Sexual Assault Nurse Exams, or SANEs) to people who have recently experienced sexual or relationships violence. For example, this might include sexual assault by an acquaintance or being hit or strangled by someone you’re married to or dating. MFEs are usually conducted by specially trained forensic nurse examiners in hospitals or sexual assault clinics.
This survey will ask you about recent experiences with sexual or relationship violence and if you accessed or tried to access a MFE afterwards. The researchers are trying to identify the barriers that limit access to MFEs and how we can reduce those barriers for future survivors of violence. So you can still participate if you didn’t try to access a MFE or other healthcare responses, and you can participate whether you reported the incident to anyone or not.
You can participate in this survey if:
- You are at least 19 years old
- You experienced some form of sexual or relationship violence since January 2023
- You were in British Columbia when you experienced the incident
Who is Conducting this Study?
Dr. Amanda McCormick, an Associate Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of the Fraser Valley is leading the study. Stef Ashton and Tori Stranges, who are PhD students at the University of British Columbia – Okanagan, and Bailey Cooper, who is a Master’s student at Simon Fraser University, are Co-Investigators for this study.
Procedures involved in the Study
We are collecting data through an anonymous online survey hosted on SurveyMonkey. Your participation in the study is expected to take about 15-20 minutes. You can choose what questions you are comfortable answering. In most cases, you will be given a list of choices to pick from. Sometimes we will ask you to share your thoughts in your own words, if you are comfortable with that. The questions will ask a little about you (your age and what gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation you identify with), recent experiences of violence (e.g., what kind of violence did you experience), whether you attempted to have a MFE and whether you were able to get one, and some of the barriers to accessing MFEs that you may have experienced. You can skip over any question that you are not comfortable answering.
Potential Benefits
The research is not anticipated to benefit you directly. The researchers are collecting this data to help improve future access to MFEs by identifying issues recent survivors have faced when trying to get MFEs and suggesting ways to reduce these barriers in the future.
Potential Harms, Risks or Discomforts to Participants
Because we are asking you about recent experiences of violence, some of the questions might be upsetting. You can skip over any questions that you do not feel comfortable answering. On the next page you can find a list of contacts that should be able to help you if you’re feeling upset or distressed.
Confidentiality
The data is being collected anonymously through SurveyMonkey, which holds data on Canadian servers. We won’t ask you your name, address, or any other identifying information. We will not record the IP address when collecting your responses. The Principal Investigator will share the anonymous research data with the Co-Investigators for analysis using a password protected Sync link (Sync is a secure cloud-based file storage and sharing program that stores data on Canadian servers).