Alcohol-Related Help-Seeking in Problem Drinking Women Sexual Assault Survivors

Men sexual assault is a serious public health issue that is mostly underreported and unrecognized. Despite serious deleterious effects of sexual assault, most men victims do not seek professional help. This study was conducted to examine predictors of help-seeking practices among 91 men sexual assault survivors from a population-based survey. The study showed only 17.6% of the victims sought professional help. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that physical injury (OR = 6.58, 95% CI = 1.08-40.19), perpetration by family or friend (OR = 6.42, 95% CI = 1.47-28.04), history of rape before the age of 18 (OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.11-1.69), and threat at the time of incident (OR = 7.08, 95% CI = 1.52-33.03) were significant predictors of help-seeking practices. This study confirms that the majority of men sexual assault victims do not seek professional help. Victims with physical injury or threat were more likely to seek help. Further study should investigate barriers for help-seeking practices. Efforts should be made to reach men with a history of sexual assault.

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Predicting the Effects of Sexual Assault Research Participation: Reactions, Perceived Insight, and Help-Seeking

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260516670882 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 34 (17) ◽

pp. 3592-3613 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Anne Kirkner ◽

Mark Relyea ◽

Sarah E. Ullman

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Emotion Dysregulation ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

Research Participation ◽

Sexual Assault Survivors ◽

Survey Participation ◽

The Impact ◽

Assault Survivors

This study examined effects of participating in survey research for women sexual assault survivors with other trauma histories to understand the role of study participation on perceived insight and long-term help-seeking behaviors. A diverse sample of 1,863 women from a large Midwestern city participated in a 3-year study on women’s experiences with sexual assault. Regression analyses were conducted to (a) examine predictors of immediate positive and negative reactions to survey participation and (b) assess the impact of the survey on perceived insight and women’s long-term help-seeking behavior. Overall, most women in the study had a higher positive than negative reaction to the survey (92%), with a significant proportion indicating they sought additional services as a result of participation (55%). Women with child sexual abuse (CSA), more emotion dysregulation, and more characterological self-blame had more negative reactions to the survey, whereas those with more education and individual adaptive coping had more positive reactions. Women who said they gained insight from answering survey questions were most likely to seek additional help. This study extends the literature by examining cumulative trauma and postassault symptoms in relation to the effects of survey participation. This is also the first study of women sexual assault survivors to find a relationship between gaining perceived insight from research and subsequent help-seeking. Participating in sexual assault research may help survivors gain greater insight into their recovery, which can lead them to seek out more resources for their ongoing trauma-related problems.

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