More than 13 per cent of women who presented at a Dublin-based sexual assault treatment unit (SATU) were identified as having a potential alcohol dependency, a study has found.

Research led by Dr Maeve Eogan, Medical Director of National SATU Services aimed to assess the extent of alcohol misuse by an anonymous cohort of patients attending the unit using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) tool. A total of 53 patients completed the AUDIT questionnaire.

A total of 21 patients scored between zero and seven, suggesting that they required education about alcohol, while 22 scored between eight and 15, suggesting that their alcohol use was “potentially hazardous”.

Seven patients scored between 20 and 40. It is recommended that patients who score in this range “should be considered for referral to specialist service for full diagnostic assessment of possible alcohol dependency”.

“These results confirm that harmful alcohol use should be targeted as part of the response in reducing rates of sexual violence in Ireland,” the research found.