Abstract
ABSTRACT The overarching goals of the current study were to investigate the roles of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, rumination, and institutional betrayal (e.g., feeling betrayed/harmed by a trusted institution following a traumatic event) following unwanted sexual experiences. Our sample included 332 undergraduate students from a private Eastern U.S. college; data were collected cross-sectionally. Results indicated that many participants (41.6%) reported experiencing at least one unwanted sexual experience since the age of 14. Institutional betrayal predicted PTSD symptoms even after controlling for lifetime history of non-sexual trauma (p<.001). While high rumination scores and institutional betrayal independently predicted PTSD symptoms, their interaction (i.e., moderation) was not significant (p=.361). Finally, history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) moderated the relationship between history of adolescent/adult rape and institutional betrayal, such that individuals with histories of both CSA and adolescent/adult rape reported the highest institutional betrayal (p<.05). Implications of study findings and avenues for future research are discussed.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call