Health care consumption among adolescent girls prior to diagnoses of sexual abuse, a case–control study in the Stockholm Region

Victims of sexual abuse have more co-morbidities than other persons in the same age and the most affected group are adolescent girls. Little is known about how this is reflected in health care consumption patterns prior to the registered diagnosis. The aim of this investigation was to study health care consumption patterns among girls, 12–17 years old, 1 and 2 years prior to their diagnoses of sexual abuse. Through the Stockholm Region administrative database (VAL), data of co-morbidities, number of health care visits, and prescribed drugs were collected for cases (girls age 12–17 with diagnoses of sexual abuse, n = 519) and controls matched for age and socio-economic status (n = 4920) between 2011–2018. Health care consumption and co-morbidities were significantly higher for the cases compared to controls, with a rise 1 year before the diagnoses: the total number of health care visits (including no shows) 1 year prior to the first recording of the diagnosis was 20.4 (18.1–22.7) for the cases and 6.2 (5.8–6.6) for the controls. The most frequent visits 1 year prior to the diagnosis were to outdoor clinics, with a mean value of 19.1 (16.9–21.3) visits for the cases and 5.7 (5.3–6.1) for the controls, followed by psychiatric clinics with a mean value of 12.7 (10.6–14.8) visits for the cases and 2.0 (1.7–2.3) visits for the controls. The least visited health care clinic 1 year prior to the diagnosis was the emergency ward with a mean value of 1.3 (1.1–1.5) visits for the cases and 0.5 (0.4–0.5) visits for the controls. The most common psychiatric co-morbidities registered among the cases during the first year before the diagnosis of sexual abuse were stress, suicide attempt, and psychosis. Neuroleptics, sleeping pills, antidepressants, and tranquilizers were more frequently dispensed in cases than in controls. Similar patterns were found 2 years prior to the diagnosis. We encourage clinicians to actively ask for exposure of sexual abuse in girls with high health care consumption, making early detection and treatment of sexual abuse available as soon as possible.