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

Rates of sexual victimization among Indigenous women are 3 times higher when compared with non-Indigenous women. The purpose of this secondary data analysis was to explore the experiences and recommendations of Indigenous women who reported sexual assault to the police and were not believed. This qualitative study of the experiences of 11 Indigenous women reflects four themes. The women experienced (a) victimization across the lifespan, (b) violent sexual assault, (c) dismissal by police, and (d) survival and resilience. These women were determined to voice their experience and make recommendations for change in the way police respond to sexual assault.

Download Full-text

Measurement Invariance of the Sexual Assault Script Scale (SASS): An Examination Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White College Women

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260520985491 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 088626052098549

Author(s):

Elizabeth A. Yeater ◽

Kristen N. Vitek ◽

Ryan S. Ross ◽

Meredith Blackwell ◽

Katie Witkiewitz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

College Women ◽

Measurement Invariance ◽

Sexual Victimization ◽

Factor Model ◽

The United States ◽

Bisexual Women ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Hispanic White ◽

White College

Rates of sexual victimization have remained steady over several decades, and preventative interventions to reduce men’s sexually aggressive behavior have been largely ineffective. As such, research has endeavored to find novel approaches to identify women at increased risk for sexual victimization. Sexual assault scripts, or “cognitive models” that women adhere to that guide their beliefs about sexual assault are posited to influence their victimization risk. Prior studies on sexual assault scripts primarily have been qualitative in nature; however, recent work yielded a 27-item measure of putative risk for sexual victimization called the Sexual Assault Script Scale (SASS). The SASS has four subscales called Stereotypical Assault Scripts, Acquaintance Assault Scripts, Assault Resistance Scripts, and Date/Friend Assault Scripts, which were found in prior work to be internally consistent and associated with putative risk factors for sexual victimization. The focus of the current study was to test the measurement invariance of the SASS among Hispanic and non-Hispanic White college women who were recruited in the prior study. Four hundred sixty-nine ( N = 469) Hispanic and 415 non-Hispanic White US undergraduate heterosexual or bisexual women from a Southwestern university in the United States completed the SASS. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) replicated the prior four-factor model with an acceptable fit to the data, and tests of measurement invariance revealed the SASS to be invariant across Hispanic and non-Hispanic White college women, suggesting that the SASS is measuring a similar construct in these groups.

Download Full-text

Factors Associated With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptomology Among Women Who Have Experienced Sexual Assault in Canada

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260519860084 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 088626051986008

Author(s):

Janice Du Mont ◽

Holly Johnson ◽

Cassandra Hill

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Sexual Assault ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Dating Violence ◽

Sexual Victimization ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

General Social Survey ◽

Future Research ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

Sexually Assaulted

There is a dearth of information about the association of victim-related and assailant-related characteristics and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among sexually assaulted women. Recently, Statistics Canada included items measuring the possible presence of PTSD symptoms in their 2014 nationally representative General Social Survey on Victimization (GSS-V), for the purpose of improving the understanding of mental health impacts associated with sexual victimization. The present study used the GSS-V to examine the association of sociodemographic, health, and assailant characteristics and prior traumatic experiences in the form of physical or sexual dating violence, physical assault, stalking, childhood abuse, and witnessing of violence between parents with PTSD symptomology among sexually assaulted women. Among 319 women who reported experiencing at least one incident of sexual assault in the 12 months prior to the survey, 68.6% had experienced at least one negative emotional impact as a result, among whom, 43.6% reported past-month PTSD symptoms. Logistic regression modeling revealed that prior traumatic events in the form of physical or sexual dating violence, stalking, and having witnessed violence between parents were associated with higher odds of experiencing PTSD symptoms, as was having been sexually assaulted by a known assailant. In contrast, the odds of experiencing PTSD symptoms was lower for Aboriginal or visible minority women. The results suggest that PTSD symptoms in the near aftermath of sexual victimization are common, and there are a range of factors that contribute to the likelihood of developing these symptoms. Implications for future research are discussed.

Download Full-text

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.

Download Full-text

Campus Sexual Assault: A Systematic Review of Prevalence Research From 2000 to 2015

Trauma Violence & Abuse ◽

10.1177/1524838016631129 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 76-93 ◽

Cited By ~ 143

Author(s):

Lisa Fedina ◽

Jennifer Lynne Holmes ◽

Bethany L. Backes

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Sexual Coercion ◽

Sexual Victimization ◽

The United States ◽

Sexual Contact ◽

College Campuses ◽

Future Research ◽

Campus Sexual Assault ◽

Study Designs ◽

Unwanted Sexual Contact

Sexual assault is a pervasive problem on university and college campuses in the United States that has garnered growing national attention, particularly in the past year. This is the first study to systematically review and synthesize prevalence findings from studies on campus sexual assault (CSA) published since 2000 ( n = 34). The range of prevalence findings for specific forms of sexual victimization on college campuses (i.e., forcible rape, unwanted sexual contact, incapacitated rape, sexual coercion, and studies’ broad definitions of CSA/rape) is provided, and methodological strengths and limitations in the empirical body of research on CSA are discussed. Prevalence findings, research design, methodology, sampling techniques, and measures, including the forms of sexual victimization measured, are presented and evaluated across studies. Findings suggest that unwanted sexual contact appears to be most prevalent on college campuses, including sexual coercion, followed by incapacitated rape, and completed or attempted forcible rape. Additionally, several studies measured broad constructs of sexual assault that typically include combined forms of college-based sexual victimization (i.e., forcible completed or attempted rape, unwanted sexual contact, and/or sexual coercion). Extensive variability exists within findings for each type of sexual victimization measured, including those that broadly measure sexual assault, which is largely explained by differences in sampling strategies and overall study designs as well as measures of sexual assault used in studies. Implications for findings and recommendations for future research on the prevalence of college-based sexual victimization are provided.

Download Full-text

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.

Download Full-text

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

Journal of American College Health ◽

10.1080/07448481.2020.1739054 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Emily A. Waterman ◽

Katie M. Edwards ◽

Lindsey M. Rodriguez ◽

Sarah E. Ullman ◽

Christina M. Dardis

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Partner Abuse ◽

Social Reactions

Download Full-text

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.

Download Full-text