| Summary: | Background: The numbers of crime towards women are increasing in our society. It is the medical caregiver’s responsibility to take care of these women when they are seeking help post assault. The caregiver’s task is to provide good care and performe a forensic evidence examination. Studies shows that many help-seeking women experienced the care they received as hurtful, and thus many female survivors of sexual assault did not seek help at all. The reason for this may be the emotional experience the victim receives from the healthcare. Aim: The aim of the study was to examine female emotional experience of the meeting with a caregiver after sexual assault. Method: The study is based on a systematic literature review. Findings: Many help-seeking female survivors of sexual abuse experienced the meeting with healthcare as hurtful. Many victims perceived that the medical personnel and people around them increased their feeling of guilt they carried post-assault. That decreased their likeliness to disclosure and help-seeking. Conclusion: Help-seeking women post-assault often experienced guilt in relation to what happened to them. The questions medical personnel asked the victims, the way they asked and the reaction of people surrounding them, may increase their feelings of guilt. With increased knowledge, healthcare-personnel can help these women to get the right support and help and this may increase their quality of life.
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