Sexual violence is #NotOkay: Social reactions to disclosures of sexual victimization on twitter.

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine W. Bogen ◽  
Kaitlyn Bleiweiss ◽  
Lindsay M. Orchowski
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Social Reactions

scholarly journals Self-affirmation and False Allegations: The Effects on Responses to Disclosures of Sexual Victimization

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052098038
Author(s):  
Melissa S. de Roos ◽  
Daniel N. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Sexual Misconduct ◽  
News Article ◽  
Child Victims ◽  
False Allegations ◽  
False Accusation ◽  
Amazon's Mechanical Turk ◽  
False Accusations

The rise of the #MeToo movement highlights the prevalence of sexual victimization and gives a voice to victims who may have been silent before. Nevertheless, survivors or victims of sexual violence who come forward may be blamed or not believed. These reactions are evident both with adult and child victims. Further, fears about false accusations of sexual misconduct may negatively impact responses to disclosures. This study aimed to examine gender differences in perceptions toward the #MeToo movement, and the extent to which these translate into a skeptical response to disclosure. Further, we wanted to explore whether proximity to false allegations of sexual violence was linked with more negative responses and whether use of self-affirmations may decrease the likelihood of such a response. Through an online survey ( N = 235) on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, we assessed participants’ exposure to and perceptions of the #MeToo movement. Further, we asked them about their proximity to sexual violence (victimization or perpetration) and to false allegations. Using a threat manipulation (news article about false accusation) and a self-affirmation exercise, we studied the effects of both variables on responses to disclosure. Results indicated that after reading an article about a false accusation, male participants were more likely to blame a victim of childhood sexual abuse and to perceive the abuse as less harmful, compared with female participants. Further, we found that self-affirmation was linked with more supportive responses to a disclosure. These findings highlight the threatening nature of false accusations of sexual violence for men, and how this threat may shape the narrative regarding sexual violence. Opportunities to use self-affirmation to change this narrative to a more supportive one are discussed.

Social Reactions to Disclosure of Sexual Victimization and Adjustment Among Survivors of Sexual Assault

2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 2005-2023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay M. Orchowski ◽  
Amy S. Untied ◽  
Christine A. Gidycz
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Social Reactions

scholarly journals Women's Contexts and Circumstances of Posttraumatic Growth After Sexual Victimization: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marika Guggisberg ◽  
Simone Bottino ◽  
Christopher M. Doran
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Healing Process ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
Physical Problems ◽  
Creative Insight ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Stage Analysis

Sexual violence is a concerning public health and criminal justice problem. Even though extensive literature has linked sexual victimization to a multitude of mental and physical problems, some victim/survivors recover and are able to lead lives without notable negative impacts. Little is known about women who experienced posttraumatic growth following sexual victimization. This review brings together knowledge accumulated in the academic literature in the past decade. It was informed by the PRISMA-P guidelines. Databases were searched using a combination of keywords to locate original peer-reviewed research articles published between January 2010 and October 2020 focusing on posttraumatic growth following sexual victimization. The initial search identified 6,187 articles with 265 articles being read in full, identifying 41 articles that were included in the analysis. The results suggest that recovery from sexual victimization is possible with the healing process being idiosyncratic. Victim/survivors employed various strategies resulting in higher degrees of functioning, which were termed growth. Following a synthesis of themes that emerged from the thematic analysis, a higher order abstraction, using creative insight through reflexivity, discussions among the research team and consistent interpretation and re-interpretation of the identified themes as a second stage analysis, resulted in the identification of two superordinate topics “relationship to self” and “relationship to others.” Findings indicated that women engaged in deliberate introspection to connect with themselves and utilized altruistic actions and activism in an attempt to prevent further sexual victimization Helping victim/survivors deal with the sexual violence facilitated growth as a collective. We concluded that helping others may be a therapeutic vehicle for PTG. Given research in this area remains in its infancy, further investigation is urgently needed.

Institutional Response and Impact of Reporting Sexual Violence: An Examination of Sexual and Gender Minority College Students

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110550
Author(s):  
Lauren R. Grocott ◽  
Nykia R. Leach ◽  
Leslie A. Brick ◽  
Richard Meza-Lopez ◽  
Lindsay M. Orchowski
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Minority Students ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Poor Response ◽  
College Campuses ◽  
Institutional Response ◽  
Heterosexual Women ◽  
And Gender

Although college students who are sexual and gender minorities (SGM) experience higher rates of sexual victimization than their peers who identify as heterosexual and cisgender, there is a paucity in the literature investigating how college campuses can address the needs of SGM college students in violence prevention and response. The present research examines a subset of data from the Healthy Minds Survey (HMS), a national web-based survey administered across two universities from 2016 to 2017. We examined the role of SGM status in the rates of sexual violence, perceptions of their college/university’s institutional response to reports of sexual violence (e.g., taking a report seriously and taking corrective action), and the perceived impact of reporting sexual violence (e.g., students would support the person making a report). Logistic regression analyses revealed higher rates of sexual victimization among sexual minority students (compared to heterosexual), women (compared to men), and transgender and gender diverse (TGD) students (compared to cisgender). In addition, sexual minority (compared to heterosexual), women (compared to men), and TGD (compared to cisgender) students were more likely to perceive their institution would have a poor response to reports of sexual violence. Women and sexual minority students were also likely to believe that students who report sexual violence would suffer academically. These findings highlight the need for continued efforts to enhance sexual assault prevention and response efforts on college campuses, especially for SGM students.

Expanding Our View: Demographic, Behavioral, and Contextual Factors in College Sexual Victimization

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052090507
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Rogers ◽  
Baker A. Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Violence Prevention ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
College Campuses ◽  
College Health ◽  
Behavioral Factors ◽  
Prevention Programming ◽  
Men And Women

Despite efforts on some college campuses to address the issue of sexual victimization, the numbers have not changed much over the last four decades. The purpose of this study is to examine how demographic, contextual, and behavioral factors influence sexual victimization on college campuses. Using data from the Fall 2011 National College Health Assessment/American College Health Association survey, we examine three hypotheses: (1) contextual factors will have a greater effect on the likelihood of victimization than behavioral factors; (2) demographic factors will have a greater effect on the likelihood of victimization than behavioral factors; and (3) contextual factors for men will have a greater effect than contextual factors for women. While previous studies have tackled portions of these larger objectives, few studies have focused on all three sets of factors of analysis simultaneously. Overall, we find that behavioral factors predict sexual victimization better than either demographic or contextual factors for both men and women. However, we also find that some contextual factors are significant, including variables not generally discussed in the literature, such as perception of typical student behaviors and dissemination of violence prevention programming and information. In addition, we add to the literature by showing how demographic, behavioral, and contextual factors of sexual victimization vary in significance for men and women. These findings support the calls for more sexual violence prevention programming on college campuses that is more intersectional and addresses the issue of sexual violence based on the knowledge we have gained about individual, interactional, and institutional factors that contribute to this problem.

The Association Between a History of Sexual Violence and Romantic Relationship Functioning: A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
pp. 152483802091561
Author(s):  
Kristen N. Vitek ◽  
Elizabeth A. Yeater
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Relationship Conflict ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Relationship Functioning ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
History Of ◽  
Future Research Directions

The consequences of sexual violence are substantial and include both intra- and interpersonal problems. Notably, sexual violence has been associated with difficulties in interpersonal relationships including intimate relationships. While there have been prior reviews considering various interpersonal and dyadic consequences associated with sexual violence, there has not been a comprehensive review considering the various aspects of adult dyadic functioning including intimacy, relationship conflict, and satisfaction satisfaction among both child and adult victims of sexual violence. The databases PsycINFO and PubMed were searched for terms related to sexual victimization (e.g., sexual assault, sexual victimization, sexual abuse, rape, revictimization), terms related to relationships (e.g., romantic relationship, intimate relationship), and terms related to relationship functioning (e.g., satisfaction, relationship quality, conflict, communication, intimacy, sexual functioning). Eligible studies for this review were required to (1) be an original study, (2) be written in English, (3) identify a sample or subsample consisting of women reporting a history of sexual violence in either childhood or adulthood, and (4) measure at least one of the following relationship areas: intimacy, relationship conflict, or relationship satisfaction in heterosexual adult romantic relationships. A total of 20 articles met inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Results demonstrated mixed findings on the association between sexual violence and relationship functioning, with some studies demonstrating an association between sexual violence and relationship functioning, and others failing to find such associations. These findings are discussed within the context of gaps in the extant literature and future research directions.

Speaking of Stigma and the Silence of Shame

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 482-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather R. Hlavka
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Sexual Coercion ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Young Men ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Male Victims ◽  
Forensic Interviews

This study addresses male sexual victimization as that which is both invisible and incomprehensible. Forensic interviews with young men following reports of suspected sexual assault reveal patterns of heteronormative scripts appropriated to make sense of sexual victimization. These scripts show that victimhood is largely incompatible with dominant notions of masculinity. Sexual coercion and assault embodied threat to boys’ (hetero)gendered selves, as they described feelings of shame and embarrassment, disempowerment, and emasculation. These masks of masculinity create barriers to disclosure and help to explain the serious underreporting of male sexual victimization. Questions of coercion and consent are addressed, as it relates to matters of legitimacy, sexuality, and power. With few exceptions, boys’ constructions of sexual violence have received little attention. This study adds the voices of young men to the developing empirical and theoretical research on male victims of sexual assault.

scholarly journals GENDER ROLE NORM CONFORMITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joke Depraetere ◽  
Ines Keygnaert ◽  
Christophe Vandeviver
Keyword(s):  
Gender Role ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
Male Victims ◽  
Role Norm ◽  
Role Norms ◽  
Myth Acceptance

Background. The possibility of men being perceived as sexual violence victims is constrained by stereotypical masculine gender norms, describing men as dominant and sexual opportunists, and by rape myths. These stereotypical views suggest that men cannot suffer adverse psychological consequences from sexual victimization and are less affected by it compared to women. Nevertheless, research demonstrates that men suffer psychologically from sexual victimization similar to women, and that their victimization might be associated with poorer psychological health outcomes compared to women. Additionally, scholars have argued that stereotypical gender roles and rape myths may worsen the adverse outcomes of sexual victimization. Yet, thus far, empirical research to test these hypotheses was lacking.Method. We examined the psychological consequences of sexual victimization among 696 male (n = 135) and female (n = 561) college students who self-identified as victims of sexual violence. We examined the effect of gender role norm endorsement and rape myth acceptance on the severity of self-reported psychological consequences of sexual victimization. Results. Results showed that, overall, female victims disclose psychological consequences to a greater extent than male victims. Our findings confirmed that higher endorsement of both masculine and feminine gender role norms increase the severity of psychological consequences among both men and women. Rape myth acceptance only influenced the severity of the consequences for female victims but in the opposite direction than hypothesized. Nonetheless, the odds ratio suggest that the influence of rape myth acceptance is negligible. Conclusion. With this study we point out the problematic influence gender role norms have on victims of sexual violence, particularly male victims, and the consequences they may suffer. We argue for a deconstruction of stereotypical masculine role norms in order for men to accept their victimization and talk about their experiences with others.

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