Sexual Assault, Campus Resource Use, and Psychological Distress in Undergraduate Women

Undergraduate women are at high risk of experiencing sexual assault during their college years. Research has established a strong link between sexual victimization and psychological distress. Although the relationship between sexual victimization and distress has been established, little is known about how the use of university-affiliated sexual assault resources influences mental health outcomes for survivors. The aims of this cross-sectional study were to describe the characteristics of women who used campus survivor resources following a sexual assault during college, examine correlates of campus resource use, and examine correlates and predictors of mental health of women who have been sexually assaulted during college. An online anonymous survey was sent to undergraduate women at two public universities in a mid-Atlantic state. Participants were female, undergraduate students ( N = 362) who had been sexually assaulted during their time at college. Few women ( n = 98, 27.1%) used campus resources following a sexual assault. We found significant relationships between participants’ use of campus survivor resources and experiencing a sexual assault prior to entering college, experiencing more severe sexual assaults, acknowledging the assault as a rape, feeling more self-blame, and experiencing more psychological distress. Campus resource use was significantly associated with poorer mental health outcomes. The cross-sectional nature of this study limited our ability to explore the reason for this. Further research is needed to explore the role campus resources play in supporting survivors during the recovery process. Given the high rate of sexual assaults on college campuses and the known negative psychological impact of sexual assault, it is imperative that campuses offer resources that are effective in meeting the needs of survivors.

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A longitudinal model for psychological distress in the COVID-19 crisis among brazilian graduate students

Psico ◽

10.15448/1980-8623.2021.3.41332 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 52 (3) ◽

pp. e41332

Author(s):

Marcela Mansur-Alves ◽

Cristiano Mauro Assis Gomes ◽

Camila Batista Peixoto ◽

Matheus Bortolosso Bocardi ◽

Marina Luiza Nunes Diniz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Mental Health Outcomes ◽

Individual Factors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Psychological Suffering

As most evidence for mental health impacts of the COVID-19 crisis is cross-sectional, the present study aimed to analyze the longitudinal development of psychological suffering among 619 Brazilian adults by assessing mental health outcomes and individual factors in two periods: a year before and a month after the break of the pandemic. As major findings, pandemic psychological suffering was directly explained by previous-year suffering, conscientiousness, and pandemic perceived stress, and correlated with pandemic suicidal ideation. Pandemic perceived stress correlated with pandemic psychological distress, and was explained by previous-year suffering, neuroticism, and conscientiousness, as well as by pandemic life satisfaction and perceived pandemic impact. Finally, pandemic suicidal ideation variance was explained by prior ideation and pandemic life satisfaction. These findings are in line with current models of mental health and highlight the importance of integrating both more stable individual factors and more transient variables towards and explanation for mental health outcomes.

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Mental health outcomes among patients from Fangcang shelter hospitals exposed to COVID-19: An observational cross-sectional study

Chronic Diseases and Translational Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.cdtm.2020.12.001 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Guang-Yin Zhang ◽

Qi Liu ◽

Jing-Yu Lin ◽

Lin Yan ◽

Li Shen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Mental Health Outcomes ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

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Longitudinal Correlates of Loneliness and Psychological Distress During the Lockdown Situation due to COVID-19. Effects of Age and Self-Perceptions of Aging

The Journals of Gerontology Series B ◽

10.1093/geronb/gbab012 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Andrés Losada-Baltar ◽

José Ángel Martínez-Huertas ◽

Lucía Jiménez-Gonzalo ◽

María del Sequeros Pedroso-Chaparro ◽

Laura Gallego-Alberto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Mental Health Outcomes ◽

Stressful Situation ◽

Self Perceptions ◽

Personal Variables ◽

Dependent Variables ◽

Perceptions Of Aging

Abstract Objectives To longitudinally analyze the correlates of loneliness and psychological distress in people exposed to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown, exploring the effects of age and self-perceptions of aging (SPA). Methods A longitudinal follow-up of 1,549 participants was carried out at four different time points during the lockdown in Spain. Questions about the risk of COVID-19, age, SPA, family and personal resources, loneliness, and psychological distress were measured. Results Changes in loneliness showed a linear longitudinal trajectory through time, but changes in psychological distress showed a U-shaped relationship with time. Age was a relevant predictor of differences in distress, with older people reporting less psychological distress. Change in both dependent variables was related to change in different predictors like family and personal variables and also to negative SPA. Discussion In a stressful situation such as the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults may be more resilient to adverse mental health outcomes by using more adaptive resources that strengthen their resilience. Support is provided for the importance of stereotyped views of the aging process that, independently of chronological age, may put people at risk of suffering adverse mental health outcomes such as loneliness and psychological distress in times of crisis.

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Acute psychological impact of coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak among psychiatric professionals in China: a multicentre, cross-sectional, web-based study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047828 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. e047828

Author(s):

Xin Guo ◽

Robert McCutcheon ◽

Toby Pillinger ◽

Atheeshaan Arumuham ◽

Jianhua Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Mental Stress ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Psychiatric Symptoms ◽

Mental Health Outcomes ◽

Considerable Proportion ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Event Scale ◽

Symptoms Of Depression

ObjectivesTo assess the magnitude of mental health outcomes and associated factors among psychiatric professionals in mental health services during COVID-19 in China.Design, setting and participantsThis cross-sectional, survey-based, region-stratified study collected demographic data and mental health measurements from psychiatric professionals in 34 hospitals between 29 January and 7 February 2020, in China. Hospitals equipped with fever clinics or deployed on wards for patients with COVID-19 were eligible.Primary outcome and measuresThe severity of symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia and distress were assessed by the Chinese versions of 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, 7-item Generalised Anxiety Disorder, 7-item Insomnia Severity Index and 22-item Impact of Event Scale-Revised, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression and structural equation modelling was performed to identify factors associated with mental health outcomes.ResultsA total of 610 psychiatric professionals were included. 29.8% were employed in Wuhan, and 22.5% were frontline workers. A considerable proportion of participants reported symptoms of depression (461 (75.6%)), anxiety (282 (46.2%)), insomnia (336 (55.1%)) and mental stress (481 (78.9%)). Psychiatric symptoms were associated with worrying about infection (eg, OR 2.36 (95% CI 1.27 to 4.39) for anxiety), risks of exposure to COVID-19 (eg, having inadequate personal protection equipment, OR 2.43 (1.32 to 4.47) for depression) and self-perceived physical health (eg, OR 3.22 (2.24 to 4.64) for mental stress). Information sources of COVID-19 were also found to be both positively (eg, information from relatives, OR 2.16 (1.46 to 3.21) for mental stress) and negatively (eg, information from TV, OR 0.52 (0.35 to 0.77) for mental stress) associated with mental stress. There is preliminary evidence that mental health might benefit from greater availability of mental healthcare services. The structural equation model analysis indicated that worrying about infection may be the primary mediator via which risk of exposure to COVID-19 pandemic affects the mental health of psychiatric professionals.ConclusionsThe current findings demonstrate several pathways via which the COVID-19 pandemic may have negatively affected the mental health of psychiatric professionals in China.

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Work-life conflict and associations with work- and nonwork-related factors and with physical and mental health outcomes: a nationally representative cross-sectional study in Switzerland

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/1471-2458-9-435 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

Oliver Hämmig ◽

Felix Gutzwiller ◽

Georg Bauer

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Work Life ◽

Mental Health Outcomes ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Related Factors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Nationally Representative

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Longitudinal Effects of Gendered Harassment Perpetration and Victimization on Mental Health Outcomes in Adolescence

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260517723746 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 35 (23-24) ◽

pp. 5997-6016 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Sarah J. Rinehart ◽

Dorothy L. Espelage ◽

Kristen L. Bub

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Sexual Harassment ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Mental Health Outcomes ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Negative Outcomes ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Impact ◽

Homophobic Name Calling ◽

Gendered Harassment

Gendered harassment, including sexual harassment and homophobic name-calling, is prevalent in adolescents and is linked to negative outcomes including depression, anxiety, suicidality, substance abuse, and personal distress. However, much of the extant literature is cross-sectional and rarely are perpetrators of these behaviors included in studies of outcomes. Therefore, the current study examined the effects of longitudinal changes in gendered harassment perpetration and victimization on changes in mental health outcomes among a large sample of early adolescents. Given that these behaviors commonly occur in the context of a patriarchal society (males hold power), we also investigated the impact of gender on gendered harassment. Participants included 3,549 students from four Midwestern middle schools (50.4% female, 49% African American, 34% White) at two time points (13 and 17 years old). Results indicated that increases from age 13 to 17 years in sexual harassment perpetration and victimization and homophobic name-calling perpetration and victimization predicted increases in depression symptoms and substance use. Gender did not moderate these pathways. These findings highlight that negative outcomes are associated with changes in gendered harassment among adolescents and emphasize the importance of prevention efforts. Implications for school interventions are discussed.

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