Sexual Violence Against Adult Women Immediately Before, During, and After Natural Disasters: A Scoping Review

Background Natural disasters are increasing in severity and frequency, whereas women’s increased risk for sexual violence (SV) during disasters is largely ignored by disaster management. Aims To assess what is known in the literature about SV towards adult women immediately before, during, and after natural disasters to inform forensic nursing practice. Methods Following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) framework, primary literature was searched in CINAHL, PubMed, and PsycINFO. Twenty-two sources met inclusion criteria. Results Few theoretically based high-level studies, and multiple terms to describe similar phenomena limiting comparison between studies. Despite searching in CINAHL, no authors were nurses, and no sources came from nursing journals. Discussion Quality research addressing sexual violence against women during disasters is needed. Forensic nurses are well poised to bring awareness and collaborate with emergency management agencies to lead regulation and policy change, advancing gender-sensitive disaster management.