Older Adults' Experiences with Sexual Violence: A Long-Neglected Concern

Sexual violence is usually framed as a concern affecting younger people. But a new George Mason University study of survivors over 50 tells a different story. The study ispublishedin the journalSage Open Aging. Michelle Hand, assistant professor of social work at the College of Public Health, set out to document those experiences, identifying 16 survivors in their 50s through 80s who shared candid accounts of violence they endured at later ages and the aftermath. The study is one of the first to center older adults' voices on sexual violence, an area where survivor accounts have been largely absent from research. The survivors describedsexual violenceamong older people as more common than the public assumes, but often ignored or dismissed. The group included both men and women, as well as LGBTQ+ survivors. "Many survivors who are 50 years and older feel left out of the narrative because they have been, so it was important that their voices were heard in this study," Hand said. "Their rich perspectives resulted in nuanced recommendations for sexual violence prevention and intervention, including in the workplace, where older survivors have been met with shock."