Interventions to Reduce Distress in Adult Victims of Sexual Violence and Rape: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Beginning with the articulation of Rape Trauma Syndrome (Burgess 1974), the traumatic aftermath of sexual assault on victims has become a focus of social and legal policy, scholarly inquiry, and mental health interventions. The wide variety of psychosocial treatment modalities for victims of sexual violence reported in the literature and used in practice are predominantly based on psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural or feminist-informed theoretical frameworks. Some modalities have been specifically designed for victims of sexual violence while others have been adapted from use with other traumatized populations. Although there is evidence of effective treatments for addressing traumatic stress in victims of many types of trauma, modalities specific to victims of sexual assault have not been systematically tested. Evidence suggests that trauma associated with rape or sexual assault differs from trauma stemming from other experiences, in part due to the strong element of self-blame, the individualized nature of this type of trauma, social support and social acceptance factors, and the higher incidence of concurrent depression. Therefore, it is critical to examine the effectiveness of interventions specific to victims of sexual violence and rape.