Abstract: Who Provides the Care? Workforce Representation and Equity In Sexual Assault Response Systems (Society for Social Work and Research 31st Annual Conference)

Schedule:

Saturday, January 23, 2027

Golden Gate 2 (Hilton San Francisco Union Square)

* noted as presenting author

Daniel Jacobson Lopez, PhD, Assistant Professor, Boston University, Boston, MA

Rhea Dcunha, MPH, Graduate Student, Boston University

Jerry Kai-Chun Fu, MSW, Doctoral Student, Boston University

Xavier Price-Kirkham, Graduate Student, Boston University

Megan Nizza, LMSW, Doctoral Candidate, Boston University

Antonio Garcia, PhD, Professor, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Steven Meanley, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Pennsylvania

Background
The sexual assault response care relies on an interdisciplinary team of healthcare providers, including physicians, nurses, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs), and administrators, to provide trauma-informed care and referrals. However, limited studies have explored the composition of the workforce in sexual assault response systems and how it impacts the provision of accessible and equitable care. Workforce composition may influence survivors’ experiences, especially their perceptions of safety and trustworthiness of providers, particularly among Black and/or Latino gay and bisexual men. This study explored how workforce characteristics affected provision of care among Black and/or Latino gay and bisexual male sexual assault survivors.

Methods
This mixed-methods study analyzed survey and in-depth interview data from healthcare providers and administrators in sexual assault response systems (N = 24). Survey measures included participants’ demographics, professional roles, organizational characteristics, and specialized training in sexual assault care, HIV care, and LGBTQIA+ health. Descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations were used to examine patterns of workforce representation and training across professional roles. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between professional roles and specialized training. Thematic coding of interview results with healthcare providers aimed at investigating the factors affecting the sexual assault care providers.

Results

The workforce in this study is predominantly cisgender female (87.5%) and White (79.2%), indicating a lack of demographic diversity in the sexual assault response workforce. Participants represented various professions within the healthcare field, including administrators (45.8%), nurses and SANEs (41.7%), and physicians (12.5%). Most participants had specialized training in sexual assault (91.7%) and LGBTQIA+ health (79.2%). However, fewer participants had training in HIV care (33.3%), despite being an integral component of post-assault healthcare services. Significant differences were observed between provider positions regarding training on HIV-related topics (p = .047), indicating that training needs vary across professions. The thematic analysis revealed various workforce-related challenges, including the lack of racial and ethnic diversity within the workforce, limited access to training, and insufficient training on working with marginalized survivors. Participants highlighted the importance of institutional support to address the needs of LGBTQIA+ survivors and survivors from racially or ethnically marginalized communities.

Conclusions
This study indicates that workforce composition and specialized training may be associated with increased access to sexual assault care. Social work research and practice should focus on workforce development and increasing specialized training focused on LGBTQIA+ health and medical racism to improve sexual assault care for Black and/or Latino gay and bisexual men. Addressing workforce representation gaps and a lack of specialized training may improve survivors' trust, disclosure, and participation in sexual assault services.