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

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 1497-1520 ◽  
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.

Correlates of Women’s Sexual Assault Disclosure to Informal and Formal Support Sources

2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 417-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura L. Starzynski ◽  
Sarah E. Ullman ◽  
Henrietta H. Filipas ◽  
Stephanie M. Townsend
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Informal Support ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sexual Assault Survivors ◽  
Self Blame ◽  
Formal Support ◽  
Social Reactions ◽  
Adult Sexual Assault ◽  
Attributions Of Blame ◽  
Assault Survivors

Deciding which people to tell about sexual assault is an important and potentially consequential decision for sexual assault survivors. Women typically receive many different positive and negative reactions when they disclose sexual assault to social support sources. A diverse sample of adult sexual assault survivors in the Chicago area was surveyed about sexual assault experiences, social reactions received when disclosing assault to others, attributions of blame, coping strategies, and PTSD. Analyses were run to identify demographic, assault, and postassault factors differentiating women disclosing to informal support sources only from those disclosing to both informal and formal support sources. Women disclosing to both formal and informal support sources experienced more stereotypical assaults, had more PTSD symptoms, engaged in less behavioral self-blame, and received more negative social reactions than those disclosing to informal support sources only. Implications for future research and intervention are discussed.

scholarly journals Alcohol’s Role in Social Reactions to Sexual Assault Disclosures: A Qualitative Study of Informal Support Dyads

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (23-24) ◽  
pp. 5365-5389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Ullman ◽  
Katherine Lorenz ◽  
Anne Kirkner
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Alcohol Problems ◽  
Support Networks ◽  
Informal Support ◽  
Sexual Assaults ◽  
Relationship Type ◽  
Social Reactions ◽  
Relationship Types ◽  
The Impact

Studies of informal support dyads are lacking to understand the disclosure of sexual assaults and social reactions informal supporters make to survivors. This study of 19 informal support dyads using interview data examined how three relationship types—significant others (i.e., romantic partners), family, and friends—differ in social reactions to sexual assaults in the context of drinking or alcohol problems. It was expected that alcohol’s role in responses to such disclosures would differ depending on relationship type as well as role alcohol played in the assault and/or in the survivor’s life or those in her social network, including the perpetrator. Results show that alcohol has mixed effects and that alcohol-related assaults as well as contexts where survivors, perpetrators, and/or their support networks have alcohol problems need further study to understand how such disclosures and social reactions occur and the impact they have on survivors, their relationships, and recovery.

scholarly journals Navigating Sex and Sexuality After Sexual Assault: A Qualitative Study of Survivors and Informal Support Providers

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (8) ◽  
pp. 1045-1057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin O’Callaghan ◽  
Veronica Shepp ◽  
Sarah E. Ullman ◽  
Anne Kirkner
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Informal Support ◽  
Support Providers ◽  
Sex And Sexuality

scholarly journals Sexual Assault: Indigenous Women’s Experiences of Not Being Believed by the Police

2021 ◽  
pp. 107780122110139
Author(s):  
Jodie Murphy-Oikonen ◽  
Lori Chambers ◽  
Karen McQueen ◽  
Alexa Hiebert ◽  
Ainsley Miller
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Secondary Data Analysis ◽  
Indigenous Women ◽  
Women’S Experiences ◽  
Women's Experiences ◽  
The Way

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.

scholarly journals [De]-Centering the Victim: Police Perceptions of Victims of Sexual Violence through a Comparative Lens of Evidence Collection and Processing

2021 ◽  
pp. 155708512110319
Author(s):  
Deborah White ◽  
Lesley McMillan
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Evidence Collection ◽  
Police Perceptions

Police are central to the statutory response to sexual violence, shaping the direction an investigation may take. Evidence provided by victims is also key to the processing of sexual assault cases. From a 2013 comparative qualitative study involving interviews with police officers in one province in Canada ( n = 11) and one region in Scotland ( n = 10) who investigate such cases, we discovered striking unanticipated differences between the two groups in terms of how they perceived victims and the evidence they provide. This paper presents a thematic analysis of these data and considers possible implications and explanations.

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
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