Application of immersive technology interventions in sexual victims: A systematic review protocol

Review question / Objective: The aim of this systematic review is to critically evaluate the current evidence regarding the immersive technology interventions in sexual victims in terms of applied methodology and patient-related outcomes. Accordingly, this systematic review will address the following questions: 1) what are the general methodological features (study design, sample and related variables, intervention content and related variables, so forth) of immersive technology interventions targeting sexually victimized individuals, 2) to what extent immersive technology interventions targeting sexually victimized individuals are promising in terms of methodological outcomes (such as feasibility, safety, so forth), and 3) to what extent the immersive technology interventions have been effective in addressing biopsychosocial outcomes in sexually victimized individuals.

Relational and Sexual Experiences of Betrayal From the Point of View of Sexually Victimized Young Women

Worldwide, it is estimated that one in five women have reported being sexually victimized before the age of 18. Girls are particularly at risk of sexual abuse at the end of adolescence and are more vulnerable to revictimization during this period. However, there is a paucity of findings related to the relational and sexual impacts of child sexual abuse among young women. The traumagenic dynamics model, proposed by Finkelhor and Browne, postulates that the consequences of sexual abuse can be analyzed in light of four distinct dynamics: traumatic sexualization, betrayal, powerlessness, and stigmatization. Among the four postulated dynamics, betrayal appears to be a key element to gain insight on the relational challenges experienced by victims, as betrayal situations can recur in romantic relationships. The present study aimed to describe, from the point of view of young women victims of child sexual abuse, the issues related to betrayals in their relational and sexual experiences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 young women aged 18 to 25 years old who had reported sexual victimization. Two main conceptual categories emerged from the narratives of the participants: (a) relational situations that echo the betrayal dynamic and (b) strategies to cope with relational situations involving betrayal: protection, reparation, and the use of both strategies, which leads to ambivalence. Findings highlight the importance of addressing the traumagenic dynamic of betrayal in interventions with sexually abuse youths, given their likelihood to experience betrayal in the context of romantic relationships and their increased risk of revictimization.

An Analysis of Statutes Criminalizing Correctional Officer Sexual Misconduct With Inmates

The 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) mandates that U.S. state correctional systems regulate and reduce staff-on-inmate sexual misconduct in state correctional facilities. As data on correctional officer sexual misconduct are limited and its legal definition varies across states, this study utilized statutory analysis to document how staff sexual misconduct is defined and how it is punished across state correctional systems. The most notable finding is that although all 50 states have statutes designed to protect incarcerated persons from being sexually victimized by correctional staff, they are far from uniform.

The Consequences of Alcohol-Involved Sexual Victimization in Male and Female College Students

Alcohol intoxication is often involved for both victims and perpetrators of sexual victimization. Yet, alcohol-involved sexual victimization research has mainly focused on female victims, excluding male victims. The current study addresses gaps in the literature by focusing on sex differences in the emotional harms (anxiety and depression symptomatology) experienced by sexual victimization victims when either the perpetrator or victim was drinking. Five-hundred-and-ten undergraduate drinkers (153 male; 357 female) participated. Models included two dichotomized predictors that occurred during participants’ first year of university (sexually victimized when the victim was drinking, sexually victimized by someone who was drinking), and two emotional outcomes (anxiety, depression). Age was controlled in all path analyses and sex was examined as a moderator. When predictors were examined in separate models, both predictors were associated with increased anxiety but not depression. These effects were significantly stronger among men. When both predictors were entered simultaneously, individuals who were victimized by someone drinking displayed increased anxiety, and this relationship was stronger among men than women victims. Being victimized when drinking was no longer associated with anxiety, consistent with prior findings that post-traumatic distress may be minimized when a trauma occurs while the victim is intoxicated. Results highlight the impact sexual victimization can have for both male and female victims, and point to the need for evidence-based policies to prevent emotional second-hand alcohol harms among male and female students alike.