Mental health and addiction services response to sexual violence: how best to meet the needs of Black and Minority Ethnic survivors

Sexual violence (SV) is a global public health problem.
Approximately 20% of UK women have experienced SV
since the age of 16. SV can increase the risk of mental
illness and substance use, consequently survivors
frequently use mental health and addiction services.
Research has shown these services are not sufficiently
addressing women's trauma needs. In addition, there has
been little exploration of the experiences of service use
among Black and Minority Ethnic (BaME) women survivors.
This research is necessary as race can shape the
experience of violence, including context, disclosure and
the treatment needs.
To address these existing evidence gaps, this research
aims to understand the experiences of BaME women
survivors of SV and professionals to explore how statutory
mental health and addiction services can best meet the
needs of this client group. Four studies are proposed: (1) a
mixed-methods systematic review exploring the
experiences of BaME survivors and professionals, and a
review of the effectiveness of interventions to improve
service responses for BaME survivors, (2) interviews with
BaME survivors from mental health and addiction services
to explore their experiences of care, (3) focus groups with
professionals from these services to explore their
experiences of delivering care to this client group, and (4)
pilot testing a co-designed resource to support
professionals in addressing the needs of this client group.