How Sex Education Can Help Prevent Suicide

How Do They Connect? 

You might be asking yourself, what does sex education have to do with suicide prevention? For individuals who have been sexually assaulted, there is an increased risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Survivors of sexual assault have a higher rate of suicidality, with approximately a 27% prevalence rate versus approximately a 9% prevalence rate for those who have not experienced sexual assault. People with disabilities experience a higher rate of sexual assault, leading these percentages to be even higher for our population. Having access to sex education is one key preventative factor for sexual assault. 

Effects of Sexual Assault 

People with I/DD are 7 times more likely to be sexually abused. Rates of sexual violence for individuals with I/DD are much higher due to social isolation, limited access to sex education, communication barriers, and an individual’s capacity to consent. 

Sexual assault has negative effects on a person psychologically, physically and behaviorally. Some of these effects are:

• Sleeping problems
• Depression, anxiety, panic attacks
• Low self-esteem
• Feelings of guilt or shame 
• Self injury 
• Increased suicidal ideation 

Sex Education as Sexual Assault and Suicide Prevention 

Knowing that people with disabilities experience sexual assault and suicidal ideation at a higher rate, what steps of prevention can we take? One step is ensuring everyone has access to comprehensive and inclusive sex education. 

Comprehensive sex education is a form of violence prevention because it provides information on healthy relationships, self-esteem, and safety. With only 9 states requiring that consent be taught to students and 21 states not mandating that information be taught about violence prevention, we can understand why folks don’t understand how to give or take away consent, or how to identify consent from others. Teaching individuals about their rights in relationships and gaining an understanding of what healthy relationships look like makes them less vulnerable to experiencing abuse. 

Other positive takeaways from taking comprehensive sex education classes include: 

• Better body image and self-confidence 
• Communication skills 
• Empathy 
• Emotion identification and management 
• Sexual abuse and dating violence prevention 
• Knowing how to respond to sexual abuse and dating violence 
• Development of healthy relationships 
• Protection from misinformation (media literacy) 
• Lower rates of STIs
• Lower rates of adolescent pregnancy and unintended pregnancies 

Supporting Survivors of Sexual Assault 

Only 19% of individuals with disabilities report their experiences of sexual assault to the police. With such a low percentage of reporting, it’s important to know the signs that someone has experienced assault. Some signs include: 

• Bruising, bleeding, or irritation of the genitals or inner thighs 
• Pain when urinating or having bowel movements 
• Abrupt mood changes
• Nightmares 
• Expressing sexual behavior through art or other media forms
• Withdrawing from social situations 

If you recognize these signs, here are some ways that you can support a survivor of sexual assault:

• Listen and believe them. Sharing an experience of sexual assault can feel frightening and vulnerable. Simply listening without judgment and believing what they share can be one of the most important ways to offer support.
• Remind them—and yourself—that it was never their fault. Sexual assault is never the survivor’s fault, regardless of the circumstances.
• Validate their feelings. Let them know that their emotions and reactions are understandable. There is no “right” way to respond to trauma.
• Let them lead the conversation. Experiencing sexual assault can leave a person feeling as though they have lost power or control. Rather than trying to fix the situation or decide what they should do next, allow them to determine what kind of support they need and what they are comfortable discussing. Giving them that choice can help restore a sense of control.
• Respect their boundaries and decisions. Everyone responds to trauma differently. Respect their choices, boundaries, and pace, even when their response may not be what you expected.
• Be patient. Healing from trauma is not a straight or predictable path. Give the survivor the time and space they need as they move through their healing journey.

Resources 

If you or someone you love has experienced sexual assault or is struggling with suicidality, check out these resources: 

• National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-4673

• • Department of Health and Human Services Rape and Sexual Assault Crisis Line 1-888-421-1100

• Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 988

TETONS 

The Utah Parent Center has a variety of learning opportunities, including TETONS, a sexual education course that was designed for self-advocates with disabilities. The curriculum provides age-appropriate, inclusive information that supports healthy decision-making and self-advocacy.  We also offer courses to professionals and guardians on how to support self-advocates in their lives. As previously mentioned, individuals with disabilities have limited access to sex education, which is a preventive tool against sexual assault. TETONS can be that resource for you!