Adult sexual assault: A 10-year retrospective forensic study of injury, psychosocial, and marital outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Adult sexual assault is a major forensic and public health concern that produces long-lasting psychological and social harm in addition to any physical trauma. From a forensic perspective, delayed presentation and complex psychosocial dynamics may substantially influence both medico-legal documentation and post-assault outcomes. Nevertheless, comprehensive forensic studies integrating physical findings with psychosocial and marital consequences among adult survivors remain limited, particularly in region-specific contexts. METHODS: This retrospective observational study evaluated adult sexual assault cases examined at a tertiary forensic medicine referral center in Türkiye between January 2007 and December 2017. Archived forensic reports and institutional medical records of 190 adult survivors were reviewed. Demographic characteristics, assault-related variables, timing of presentation, genital and extragenital findings, psychosocial symptoms, family attitudes, and marital outcomes were analyzed. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests for categorical variables, and Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables were used to assess associations. RESULTS: A total of 190 adult sexual assault survivors were evaluated. Presentation within 72 h was significantly associated with a higher detection rate of genital injuries compared with later presentation (p = 0.017). Survivors exposed to repeated assaults demonstrated significantly longer delays before forensic evaluation (p = 0.003). Psychiatric morbidity was identified in 49 of the 74 psychiatrically evaluated survivors (66.2%). Adverse family responses and social pressure were frequently reported. Among survivors with available marital data, 44.6% initiated divorce proceedings following the assault, most of which resulted in finalized divorce. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that adult sexual assault has profound forensic, psychological, and social implications. Timely forensic evaluation remains critical for the detection of physical findings and the preservation of medico-legal evidence. At the same time, psychosocial and marital consequences highlight the need for trauma-informed, multidisciplinary approaches that address not only forensic documentation but also psychological support and family-centered interventions to improve long-term survivor outcomes. These findings emphasize the need for integrated forensic, psychological, and social approaches in the medico-legal management of adult sexual assault survivors.