Predictors of uptake and retention in an intervention to improve social reactions to disclosures of sexual assault and partner abuse

Because of the high rates and deleterious consequences of sexual assault (SA) and partner abuse (PA) on college campuses, there is a proliferation of programming to both prevent and respond to these issues. Most research to date, however, presents outcome evaluation data on these programs and neglects to present process evaluation data which are critical for program refinement and dissemination. The purpose of this study was to present process evaluation data (i.e., acceptability and feasibility) specific to a program that endeavored to increase positive and decrease negative social reactions from disclosure recipients to individuals disclosing SA and PA. Participants were 303 students who completed the program and participated in postintervention surveys and a subset of students ( n = 18) who completed exit interviews. Results documented that the program was both feasible and acceptable, as evidenced by high satisfaction ratings. Important suggestions were also provided for how to improve the program, such as reducing repetition and making scenarios more realistic. Finally, participants who reported higher program engagement and more program usage generally reported more intentions to provide positive social reactions, less intentions to provide negative social reactions, and less actual negative social reactions. This information is useful not only for adapting the current program discussed herein but also for program developers and preventionists wishing to create similar programming to effectively prevent and improve response to SA and PA.

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Sexual Assault by Verbal Coercion, Force, or Incapacitation: Examining Psychological Consequences, Attributions of Responsibility, and Social Reactions to Disclosure

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e621642012-127 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Christina M. Dardis ◽

Christine A. Gidycz

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Psychological Consequences ◽

Attributions Of Responsibility ◽

Social Reactions ◽

Verbal Coercion

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

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260512471085 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 28 (10) ◽

pp. 2005-2023 ◽

Cited By ~ 79

Author(s):

Lindsay M. Orchowski ◽

Amy S. Untied ◽

Christine A. Gidycz

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Sexual Victimization ◽

Social Reactions

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A Short Measure of Social Reactions to Sexual Assault: The Social Reactions Questionnaire-Shortened

Violence and Victims ◽

10.1891/0886-6708.vv-d-16-00066 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 32 (6) ◽

pp. 1096-1115 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Sarah E. Ullman ◽

Mark Relyea ◽

Rannveig Sigurvinsdottir ◽

Sidney Bennett

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Women Survivors ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Community Sample ◽

Short Version ◽

Alternative Measure ◽

Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽

Social Reactions ◽

The Social ◽

Confirmatory Factor

Social reactions to disclosures of sexual assault have significant effects on women’s postassault recovery. However, being the most widely used measure of these reactions, the 48-item Social Reactions Questionnaire (SRQ; Ullman, 2000) is too long for some research and evaluation efforts. Thus, we developed a 16-item short version, the Social Reactions Questionnaire-Shortened (SRQ-S). Three preexisting college and community samples of women survivors (N = 1,012; 1,084; and 344) were used to determine which SRQ items were most related to psychological symptoms and could form reliable subscales. The brief version was then administered in a college and community sample of 447 women survivors. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) and supporting psychometrics showed the SRQ-S reliably measures three general scales of the SRQ (Turning Against, Unsupportive Acknowledgment, Positive Reactions) as well as eight 2-item subscales (e.g., Blame). The SRQ-S provides researchers and interventionists with a brief alternative measure to the original SRQ.

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The Feasibility of a Novel Recruitment Protocol for Collecting Survivor Data via Disclosure Recipient Referrals

Violence Against Women ◽

10.1177/10778012211070610 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 107780122110706

Author(s):

Sarah E. Ullman ◽

Emily A. Waterman ◽

Katie M. Edwards ◽

Jania Marshall ◽

Christina M. Dardis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Sexual Assault ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Future Research ◽

Matched Pairs ◽

Social Reactions ◽

Limited Success ◽

Research Studies

The current arricle describes a novel recruitment protocol for collecting data from sexual assault and intimate partner violence survivors referred to research studies by individuals to whom they had previously disclosed. Challenges in both recruiting participants and interpreting data are described. Only 35.8% of cases had usable data for both survivors and disclosure recipients, suggesting that this referral method had limited success in recruiting matched pairs. Suggestions for modifications to improve the protocol for future research are offered. Potential advantages and drawbacks of various methods for recruiting dyads are described in order to facilitate future research on survivors’ disclosure processes, social reactions, and the influence of social reactions on survivor recovery.

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Social Reactions, Coping Strategies, and Self-Blame Attributions in Adjustment to Sexual Assault

Psychology of Women Quarterly ◽

10.1111/j.1471-6402.1996.tb00319.x ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 505-526 ◽

Cited By ~ 202

Author(s):

Sarah E. Ullman

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Mail Survey ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Sexual Assault Survivors ◽

Self Blame ◽

Social Reactions ◽

Assault Victims ◽

The Impact ◽

Negative Social Reactions

The present study investigated the impact of social reactions of others to sexual-assault victims on disclosure of their victimization. A convenience sample of adult sexual-assault victims ( N = 155) completed a mail survey in which they reported information about their sexual assaults and postassault experiences. As expected, all negative social reactions were strongly associated with increased psychological symptoms, whereas most positive social reactions were unrelated to adjustment. The only social reactions related to better adjustment were being believed and being listened to by others. Victims experiencing negative social reactions also reported poorer adjustment even when other variables known to affect psychological recovery were controlled. Avoidance coping mediated the association of negative social reactions with adjustment. Implications of these findings for research and treatment of sexual-assault survivors are discussed.

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Social Reactions to Sexual Assault Disclosure: A Qualitative Study of Informal Support Dyads

Violence Against Women ◽

10.1177/1077801217732428 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 24 (12) ◽

pp. 1497-1520 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Katherine Lorenz ◽

Sarah E. Ullman ◽

Anne Kirkner ◽

Rupashree Mandala ◽

Amanda L. Vasquez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Interview Study ◽

Role Reversal ◽

Informal Support ◽

Dyadic Analysis ◽

Significant Other ◽

Relationship Type ◽

Relational Patterns ◽

Social Reactions

This interview study examined 45 informal support dyads where sexual assault was disclosed. Analysis showed social reactions and appraisals of reactions varied by relationship type (family, friend, significant other). Themes identified were role reversal or “parentification” of supporters, reactions of anger and aggression toward perpetrators, supporters using their own trauma experiences to respond to survivors, and reactions of betrayal. Results revealed the potential for identifying relational patterns and dynamics occurring in social reactions through dyadic analysis not otherwise captured by a survivor-only perspective. This approach helps understand and address distinct relationship contexts to improve supporters’ reactions to sexual assault disclosure.

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