Sexual Violence Identification and Women’s Sexual Well-Being

Abstract

Many individuals with histories of nonconsensual sexual experiences (NSEs) do not identify their experiences with common sexual violence labels, such as “sexual abuse,” “rape,” or “sexual assault.” Understanding how identification of an NSE with these sexual violence labels may lead to sexual health outcomes will shed light on important underlying processes involved in reconciling one’s NSEs with one’s understanding of and experience with sexuality more broadly. In this review, we summarize the literature on sexual violence identification within the context of sexual well-being and reflect on the implications for identification within a changing climate of sexual violence awareness and discourse. The majority of the literature has focused on aspects of the NSEs that may increase the likelihood of the individual identifying the experience with sexual violence labels. While there has been some research on the sexual correlates of identification, the overall picture of whether or not identification facilitates sexual well-being remains unclear. The authors conclude that identification is likely an observable proxy for complex implicit processes of identity change and sexual self-schema formation. Women’s identification of NSEs with various labels is related to characteristics of the experience itself, attributions about the experience, and preconceived notions of sex and sexual violence. While identification has been associated with some positive outcomes (e.g., less self-blame), it has also been related to negative outcomes (e.g., greater sexual distress). Further research into the cognitive and affective processes involved in construing and identifying NSEs is warranted, particularly in the wake of the #MeToo era.