Sexual Assault and Mental Health: Looking Beyond Rape

• In Event: Poster Session 14
  In Poster Session: PS 14 Topic - Health, Growth, Injury

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that trauma is associated with higher levels of identity distress (Berman, 2016). This is alarming as every 98 seconds an American is sexually assaulted (National Crime Victimization Survey, 2015). Sexual violence is a large encompassing topic that has been heavily researched. Much of this research has demonstrated that adolescents that have experienced sexual abuse also experience “disequilibrium,” in which they have difficulty reconciling the other aspects of themselves with the part of their identity surrounding the assault (Capella, 2016). Overall, it has been identified that complex interpersonal trauma has long-term implications like risk of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, substance abuse, sexual dysfunction, and difficulty in establishing trust and safety in relationships. (Singer & Kallivayalil, 2012). Since previous research has had a heavy focus on rape, it has resulted in a gap in the literature of sexual assault. Statistics have demonstrated that while one in five women will be raped in their lifetime, one in two women will experience sexual violence other than rape (National Violence Resource Center, 2010). Brenner et al. (2017) presents an example of the gap in the literature. Women who had been raped only made up 25% of the population, while sexually assaulted women made up the majority, at 51% of the population; even though sexually assaulted women were the majority, this research focused on those who were raped because it is thought of as more severe (Brenner et al., 2017). The categorization of assault severity implies that women who experienced any other form of sexual assault were not violated as much as those who were raped. The language of this study highlights how those who experience sexual assault other than rape are often left out of the narrative as they are not “severe” enough. The current study examined some of the psychological consequences of having been sexually assaulted by comparing these people to those who have been raped and those who had never been sexually assaulted. Late-adolescent College student participants (N = 419; 72.3% female) completed an anonymous online survey battery. The sample was 51.1% White, 23.9% Hispanic, 11.5% Black, 8.1% Asian, and 5.5% Mixed or Other. Grade level included 43% Freshmen, 19.6% Sophomores, 20% Juniors, and 16.9% Seniors. Results indicated that 103 participants had been raped, 121 had been sexually assaulted but not raped, 119 had experienced some form of non-contact assault (e.g., sexual harassment), and 76 reported never having been assaulted. A ONEWAY ANOVA among these four groups (See Table 1).indicated significant differences in PTSD (F(3, 415) = 113.45; p < .001), internalizing symptoms (F(3, 415) = 22.23; p < .001), pathological identity development (F(3, 415) = 7.01; p < .001), and identity distress (F(3, 415) = 12.01; p < .001). While these results confirm previous reports of the negative impact of rape, it adds to previous research by revealing that sexual assaults other than rape also tend to be extremely detrimental to the victims, and thus, such attacks should not be minimized or ignored in the literature.

Authors

• Alliyah Veilleux, University of Central Florida at Sanford-Lake
  Presenting Author

• Robin Thorne, University of Central Florida at Sanford-Lake
  Non-Presenting Author

• Emalee Kerr, University of Central Florida
  Non-Presenting Author

• Bailey Wagaman, University of Central Florida
  Non-Presenting Author

• Christopher C. Nelson, University of Central Florida at Sanford-Lake Mary
  Non-Presenting Author

• Steven L. Berman, University of Central Florida
  Non-Presenting Author