The Impact of Trauma on Adult Sexual Assault Victims

The focus of this report is on outlining some of the key findings from the body of knowledge of neuroscience, and applying them to the issue of sexual assault and its impacts on victims. More specifically, we review and highlight some of the significant developments, which have emerged from the field of the neurobiology of trauma as they relate to the unique crime of sexual assault. We apply their relevance to the many challenges surrounding the criminal processing of sexual
assault cases.

The views expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice Canada.