Women’s perceptions of, and emotional responses to, sexual violence depicted in film or series

Abstract

Sexual violence, particularly against women, is alarmingly common. Many survivors experience post-traumatic stress ( Cortina & Kubiak, 2006 ); thus, reminders of the trauma could cause flashbacks, dissociative symptoms, and intense fear ( American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ). Given that women consume media that regularly depicts sexual violence, which could cause distress, the current study examined women’s perceptions of, and emotional responses to, scenes of sexual violence. It was predicted that women would perceive scenes of sexual violence negatively and that would be particularly true for women with a sexual violence history, those who reported post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms related to sexual violence history, and those who use negative coping strategies in response to stressors. Participants were women ( n = 229) who completed an online survey. More than half (52%) of participants reported that they had experienced sexual violence. Participants generally reported negative perceptions of scenes of sexual violence, with a majority viewing them as too graphic, used for shock value/titillation, and unnecessary to the plot. Women with a history of sexual violence reported greater avoidance of media that might contain sexual violence and greater negative affect in response to scenes of sexual violence; however, women who exceeded the post-traumatic stress disorder screen cut-off did not report greater avoidance and negative affect than those who did not exceed the cut-off. Finally, those who reported a greater tendency to cope with stressors using problem avoidance reported more avoidance of, and negative affect in response to, scenes of sexual violence. Exploratory analyses, limitations, and future directions are discussed.