History Of Sexual Victimization Research Articles

Preliminary Efficacy of a Web-Based Alcohol and Emotion Regulation Intervention on Sexual Risk Behaviors Among College Women.

Using substances before sex may impact sexual decision-making among young women and increase their risk for a variety of negative consequences, including sexual victimization, sexually transmitted infections, and unwanted pregnancies. A brief, web-based intervention combining alcohol reduction strategies with emotion regulation (ER) skills demonstrated initial efficacy at reducing heavy drinking and improving ER abilities among college women with sexual victimization histories. The present study represents a secondary analysis of this intervention to evaluate its preliminary efficacy on reducing sexual risk behaviors, specifically alcohol and drug use before sex. The sample comprised 200 heavy drinking college women with histories of sexual victimization randomized to an assessment only control or the intervention consisting of 14 brief online alcohol reduction and ER skill building modules administered daily over a two-week period. The analytic sample included 173 women who reported on their substance use before sex at baseline and at least one of two (1-mo and/or 6-mo) follow-up surveys. Repeated measures mixed models revealed significant time-by-intervention interaction effects on alcohol use. Women who received the intervention had a significant decrease in alcohol use before sex from baseline to 1-month follow-up. Although levels of alcohol use before sex continued to be lower at the 6-month follow-up relative to baseline, differences did not reach statistical significance. Time-by-intervention interaction effects on drug use before sex were not statistically significant. Skills to reduce alcohol use and improve ER skills may be beneficial in helping women make adaptive decisions surrounding their sexual wellbeing.

Examining Sexual Violence as a Predictor of Sexual Ambivalence

AbstractSexual ambivalence can be defined as an experience of sexual behavior as both wanted and unwanted, to some degree, in a particular sexual situation. Despite ambivalence, individuals often decide to participate in these sexual experiences. There are several related and overlapping reasons as to why people ultimately decide to engage in sexual activity, including a history of engaging in a particular sexual behavior or being intimate with a prior partner. There is also evidence to suggest that experiences of sexual violence are related to sexual ambivalence. The present study explored whether prior experience with both a sexual activity and a partner, as well as sexual violence, predicted sexually ambivalent behaviors. Participants were 932 college students who completed a one-time survey about their sexual experiences. Results demonstrated that women were more likely than men to report experiencing sexual ambivalence, and women experienced more ambivalence before, during, and after a sexual encounter. Men were more likely than women to experience ambivalence during and after a sexual activity. A history of sexual violence victimization was associated with experiencing sexual ambivalence prior to engaging in a sexual behavior. Prior experience with a sexual partner or sexual activity was predictive of ambivalence during a sexual encounter, as well as engaging in a sexual activity despite ambivalence. These findings suggest that there are gender differences in sexual ambivalence, and that sexual violence impacts sexual-decision making. We hope these findings can inform sexual violence prevention and sexual education programs.

Correlates of Sexual Victimization Among Community College Women.

The current study documents the correlates associated with the severity of sexual victimization among women enrolled in a 2-year community college. Comparisons between women with a history of severe sexual victimization (i.e., rape and attempted rape), moderate sexual victimization (i.e., unwanted contact and sexual coercion), and no history of sexual victimization revealed that women with a history of severe sexual victimization endorsed more drinks per week, increased problem drinking behavior, and more use of drug before sex and higher levels of self-protective dating behaviors compared with women with no history of sexual victimization. These findings suggest that programs should target the intersection of alcohol and drug use as correlates of sexual victimization among community college women.

Negative posttraumatic cognitions about self potentially mediate the relation between sexual revictimization and suicide risk in a sample of military sexual assault survivors.

Military sexual trauma (MST) is a risk factor for suicide among service members/veterans. Research reported that around half of MST survivors were exposed to pre-MST, making MST a revictimization experience. Unfortunately, little is known about mechanisms of the association between revictimization and suicide risk among MST survivors. One possible mechanism is posttraumatic cognitions (PTCs), which include the survivor's (a) negative cognitions about themselves, (b) negative cognitions about the world, and (c) self-blame. The current study examined each of the PTC subscales as potential mediators of the association between sexual revictimization and suicide risk. Participants were 383 service members/veterans reporting a history of MST that involved assault (50.65% female). Participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing demographics, suicide risk, history of sexual victimization (MST and premilitary sexual victimization), and PTCs. Of these, 340 (88.8%) reported a history of MST and premilitary victimization and comprised the revictimization group. Parallel mediation analysis with suicide risk regressed on each of the PTCs subscales and covariates revealed that negative cognitions about self had a significant indirect effect on the association between revictimization and higher suicide risk, above and beyond negative cognitions about the world and self-blame. Targeting negative cognitions about self among sexual revictimization survivors may be a therapeutic strategy to reduce suicide risk most effectively. Cognitive processing therapy may be particularly useful given the focus on altering PTCs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Cross-sectional examination of correlates of sexual victimization disclosure via #MeToo

ABSTRACT Background: Sexual victimization is a serious public health problem, with a range of negative impacts on mental and physical health. Responses that individuals get to disclosure of sexual victimization play an important role in recovery. With the increased use of social media, more survivors are talking about their experiences of sexual victimization online. Research is needed to document the correlates of online disclosure of sexual victimization. Objective: The current study examined the role of demographic characteristics, assault severity, coping strategies, and social isolation as putative correlates of disclosing sexual victimization online via the hashtag #MeToo. Methods: A sample of 637 adults recruited via social media who reported a history of sexual victimization since the age of 14 completed self-report surveys using online survey software to assess disclosure of sexual victimization, assault severity, coping strategies, and social isolation. Results: Multivariate analyses suggest that levels of emotion-focused coping were positively associated with the disclosure of sexual victimization online via #MeToo. Further, individuals who had experienced completed rape by verbal coercion were less likely to disclose via #MeToo, compared to individuals who experienced other forms of assault. Conclusion: Coping strategies and assault severity play an important role in determining whether survivors disclose sexual victimization online via #MeToo. Findings suggest that individuals may disclose via #MeToo to seek support or express their emotions. Further, individuals whose sexual victimization experiences do not conform to ‘typical’ sexual victimization experiences are less likely to disclose via #MeToo.

Factors Associated with Sexual Victimization Among Transgender Emerging Adults.

This cross-sectional study documented between-group differences in risk factors associated with sexual victimization histories in an ethnically and racially diverse sample of transgender emerging adults (N = 248, ageM = 22.61 years). The sample was recruited using the Internet-based CloudResearch platform to answer questionnaires assessing predictors for recent experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV). Participants were categorized into four groups based on cross-classified self-reports of child sexual abuse (CSA) and recent sexual IPV, prior to the use of multivariate analysis of variance to evaluate mean score differences for past-year substance use, minority stressor, and relationship functioning variables. Participants reporting sexual IPV reported higher scores for all substance use variables, while transfeminine participants reported significantly higher scores for alcohol use problems and negative consequences related to substance use. Participants reporting both CSA and sexual IPV also reported the highest scores for everyday discrimination. Participants who experienced sexual IPV also reported the highest scores for internalized sexual stigma. Sexual revictimization among transgender adults occurs in the context of harmful patterns of substance use and several minority stressors. Our findings have implications for healthcare or counseling services for transgender emerging adults who have experienced multiple forms of victimization, substance use problems, and minority stressors, including the importance of trauma-informed and integrated intervention services, and specialized training for service providers.

Relationships Between Violent Sexual Victimization and Muscle-Building Exercise among Adolescents from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

This study aimed to investigate the association between violent sexual victimization and muscle-building exercise among adolescents. Cross-sectional data from the 2019 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (N = 8408) were analyzed. Two indicators of non-dating-related sexual violence (lifetime, past 12 months), along with one indicator of adolescent sexual violence (past 12 months), were assessed. Days of muscle-building in the past week were reported. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the associations between the three violent sexual victimization variables and muscle-building exercise. Among the sample (50.3% girls), lifetime violent sexual victimization (relative risk ratio [RRR] 1.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29 to 2.72), past 12-month violent sexual victimization (RRR 1.60, 95% CI 1.15 to 2.22), and past 12-month sexual dating violence (RRR 1.60, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.51) were associated greater relative risk of high engagement (ie, 6 to 7 days) in muscle-building exercise relative to no engagement. A history of violent sexual victimization is associated with greater involvement in muscle-building exercise, particularly among adolescent girls. Engagement in muscle-building exercise in relation to violent sexual victimization may be a means of emotion regulation and occur due to body dissatisfaction resulting from experiencing violence.

A Longitudinal Study of Risk Factors for Sexual Victimization in Puerto Rican Youth.

To determine whether youth, family, and neighborhood factors and minoritized status are associated with youth-reported sexual victimization from childhood through young adulthood. We analyzed longitudinal data from 2 population-based samples of Puerto Rican youth living in the South Bronx (as a minoritized group) and Puerto Rico (as a nonminoritized group). Waves 1 to 3 were collected annually beginning in 2000 (youth age 5-13). Wave 4 was collected 2013 to 2017 (youth age 15-29). We estimated multivariable associations between youth, family, and neighborhood factors and minoritized status at Wave 1 (independent variables); and youth-reported sexual victimization at Waves 1 to 4 (dependent variables). None of the factors was associated with youth-reported sexual victimization at Wave 1 (N=1911). Among youth reporting no previous history of sexual victimization at Wave 1 (n=1823), youth in the South Bronx vs Puerto Rico were more likely to report sexual victimization at Waves 2 or 3 (odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval (CI)]=3.62 [1.46-8.97]). Older youth were less likely to report sexual victimization (OR [95% CI]=0.77 [0.65-0.91]) (all P < .01). Among youth reporting no history of sexual victimization at Waves 1 to 3 (n=1782), youth in the South Bronx (OR [95% CI]=2.53 [1.52-4.22]), female youth (OR [95% CI]=2.81 [1.83-4.30]), and youth whose parents had more than a high school degree (OR [95% CI]=2.25 [1.38-3.67]) were more likely to report sexual victimization at Wave 4 than their counterparts (all P ≤ .001). Future research should investigate how living as a minoritized youth may contribute to an increased risk of sexual victimization.

Multivariate Patterns of Substance Use, Minority Stress and Environmental Violence Associated with Sexual Revictimization of Lesbian and Bisexual Emerging Adult Women

This study documented between-group differences in factors associated with sexual revictimization histories in a sample of young sexual minority women. Diverse samples of lesbian (N = 204, ageM = 23.55 years) and bisexual (N = 249, ageM = 23.35 years) women from the United States were recruited using the CloudResearch platform to assess factors associated with recent experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV). Participants were categorized into four groups based on self-reports of sexual victimization (a) during childhood and (b) during adulthood in intimate relationships. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to model between-group differences in three variable domains: Past-year substance use involvement, minority stress, and violence in relationship and community settings. Lesbian women reporting sexual revictimization in adulthood reported significantly higher scores for measures of past-year substance use involvement and negative consequences, daily discrimination experiences, relational victimization, and criminal victimization, compared to their counterparts with no history of sexual victimization. Among bisexual women, sexual revictimization was associated with a similar pattern of between-group differences. The sexual revictimization experiences of sexual minority women appear to occur in the context of multivariate patterns of harmful substance use, minority stress, and violence in both relationship and community settings. Our findings have implications for how intervention services are provided to emerging adult sexual minority women who experience multiple episodes of sexual abuse during their lifespans. Recommendations include specialized training for counseling or intervention service providers, integrated trauma-informed services that address both substance use and sexual assault issues, and affirmative services for sexual minority women.

Outcomes associated with participation in a sober living home for women with histories of domestic and sexual violence victimization and substance use disorders.

Outcomes associated with participation in a sober living home for women with histories of domestic and sexual violence victimization and substance use disorders.

Preliminary Efficacy of a Web-Based Alcohol and Emotion Regulation Intervention on Intimate Partner Aggression Among College Women.

Intimate partner aggression (IPA), encompassing psychological and physical aggression, is a public health concern due to its high rates among young adults. Research and theory connect heavy drinking and emotion regulation (ER) difficulties to IPA and highlight their potential role in reducing IPA. A web-based intervention combining alcohol reduction strategies with ER skills demonstrated initial efficacy at reducing heavy drinking and improving ER abilities among college women with sexual assault victimization histories. The present study represents a secondary analysis of this brief web-based intervention to evaluate its preliminary efficacy on IPA. The sample comprised 200 heavy drinking college women with histories of sexual assault victimization randomized to an assessment only control or the intervention consisting of 14 brief online alcohol reduction and ER skill building modules administered daily over a two-week period. The analytic sample included 103 women who reported their psychological and physical IPA at both the 1- and 6-month follow-up surveys. After controlling for alcohol use, repeated measures mixed models examining changes from baseline to 6-month follow-up by condition revealed a significant time-by-intervention interaction effect on psychological IPA. Women who received the intervention had a significant decrease in psychological IPA from baseline to 6-month follow-up; there was no change in psychological IPA among women in the control condition. There was no significant effect of the intervention on physical IPA. Reducing alcohol use and improving ER skills may be beneficial in helping women cope with relational conflict, thereby decreasing their use of psychological IPA.

Victim blaming, prior history to sexual victimization, support for sexually assaulted friends, and rape myths acceptance as predictors of attitudes towards rape victims in the general population of Pakistan

BackgroundIndividuals who have been sexually assaulted often turn to their friends for comfort and support. Responses to such disclosures vary greatly and may be influenced by prior victimization, the relationship of the disclosure recipient to the accused, and the recipient’s acceptance of rape myths. Moreover, currently there are no studies to date that have validated the Illinois Rape Myths Acceptance Model in Pakistan.MethodTo gain a better understanding of this phenomenon, the online survey was administered to the general population. Of this sample, 512 (consisting of 312 females and 200 males) reported having received a rape disclosure from a friend.ResultsThe results showed that having lower scores on rape myths acceptance (being less likely to endorse rape myths) was significantly associated with positive attitudes towards rape victims. Similarly, being female, having graduate or above level education, not blaming the victim, having prior history of sexual victimization, offering support for friends experiencing sexual assault, and being liberal were significantly associated with positive attitudes towards rape victims. Additionally, confirmatory factor analysis of the Illinois Rape Myths Acceptance Scale showed acceptable model fit indices and relevance to the Pakistani context.ConclusionIn conclusion, it has been assessed through the results that showed that having lower scores on rape myths acceptance (being less likely to endorse rape myths) was significantly associated with positive attitudes towards rape victims. Similarly, being female, having graduate or above level education, not blaming the victim, having prior history of sexual victimization, offering support for friends experiencing sexual assault, and being liberal were significantly associated with positive attitudes towards rape victims. It is further concluded that having experienced sexual victimization leads individuals towards showing empathy to rape victims and thus may influence them to provide support for such victims. The findings further show that Illinois Rape Myths Acceptance is a valid measure for measurement of rape myths in Pakistan as established through the acceptable model fit indices. With the use of validated scales, we could gain a better understanding of rape and the factors related to it, which could be used to inform practices and policy decisions.

The Role of Gender, Sexual Assault History, and Sexism in Endorsement of Rape Myths Among College Students.

The present study examined the roles of sexual victimization history, sexism toward women, and sexism toward men in the gender difference in rape myth acceptance. The data were obtained from 2,011 male and female college students who completed an online survey. The results suggested that gender had a significant indirect effect on rape myth acceptance via sexual assault history and several forms of sexist beliefs. The findings supported the importance of considering additional antecedents of rape myths in research, as well as in programming geared toward preventing sexual assault and improving support for survivors.

Minority Stress and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in the Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Community

Prior findings have provided preliminary evidence that minority stress may be related to posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSSs) in the transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) community. To contribute to the existing literature, the authors examined the relationship between distal stressors and PTSSs after controlling for history of sexual victimization. The authors also tested proximal stressors as mechanisms in that relationship. A sample of 242 adult participants who identified on the TGNC spectrum completed an online survey of minority stress, sexual victimization history, and PTSSs. The results demonstrated a positive association between distal stress and PTSSs, above and beyond history of sexual victimization. The authors also found that negative expectations about future events mediated the association between distal stress and PTSSs after controlling for sexual victimization history. The findings are discussed in terms of clinical implications and future directions for the field.

Gynecological Health Complaints Among College Women With Sexual Victimization Histories: Examination of Depression and Anxiety as Potential Mediators.

The study's purpose was to examine the relation between sexual victimization history and gynecological health complaints among college women. A further aim was to explore whether anxiety and depression are mediators of this relation, as well as to examine the size of these indirect relations among individuals with different types of victimization histories (childhood sexual abuse, adolescent/adult sexual assault, combined childhood sexual abuse/adolescent/adult sexual assault). A sample of 1,759 undergraduate cisgender women attending a large Southeastern U.S. university completed online measures of lifetime sexual victimization history, current anxiety and depression, and current gynecological health complaints (dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, vaginal discharge, pain during urination, and pelvic pain). Mediation analyses with bootstrapping were conducted to explore the relations among study variables. College women with a history of sexual victimization were significantly more likely to report experiencing the gynecological health complaints in the past month than women with no sexual victimization history (all ps<.05). There was a significant indirect path from sexual victimization to gynecological health complaints through both anxiety and depression for all three victimization types (βs=0.12-0.26). The indirect paths were stronger for women with combined childhood sexual abuse/adolescent/adult sexual assault histories as compared with the other two types of victimization history. Health care providers working with college women should implement a trauma-informed approach to addressing gynecological health complaints that recognizes that sexual victimization survivors are at an increased risk for these issues. Further, anxiety and depression represent possible mechanisms of risk for gynecological health complaints among survivors.

Religiosity and hazardous substance use: The moderating role of trauma-related shame.

Hazardous substance use is a major public health concern among individuals with a history of sexual victimization. Although increased religiosity has been known to serve as a protective factor against hazardous substance use, religious individuals with a history of sexual victimization may be at a greater risk for hazardous substance use due to difficulties reconciling sexual victimization with their religious beliefs. Individuals with greater trauma-related shame may engage in hazardous substance use as a means of coping with the traumatic event. The present study consisted of 614 participants (Mage  = 34.57, 50% women). Results suggested that organizational, nonorganizational, and intrinsic religiosity were positively associated with hazardous alcohol use at higher, but not lower, levels of trauma-related shame. Organizational and intrinsic religiosity were positively associated with hazardous drug use at higher, but not lower, levels of trauma-related shame. This is the first study to examine the role of trauma-related shame in the relationship between religiosity and hazardous substance use. The findings underline the importance of targeting trauma-related shame in religious individuals with a history of sexual victimization.

Sexual Victimization and Suicide Ideation: An Atemporal Indirect Effects Model

Introduction Suicide is a major public health concern among young adults. Moreover, college students are at elevated risk for sexual victimization, which is associated with elevated suicide risk. Nonetheless, not all college student survivors of sexual victimization think about suicide. Previous research has used the interpersonal psychological theory of suicide (IPTS) as a framework for understanding the association between interpersonal violence victimization and suicide ideation The current study aimed to replicate and extend the results of Poindexter et al. AQ1] by testing the serial indirect effects of IPTS constructs in the relationship between sexual victimization and suicide ideation among a sexually-victimized sample of college students. It was expected that depressive symptoms, thwarted belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness, in that order, would indirectly affect the association between cumulative sexual victimization history and suicide ideation in the past month. Method Data were collected from 796 college students via online survey. After exclusion criteria, 236 college students who reported at least one lifetime experience of sexual victimization were included in analysis. Results Results indicated that the relationship between cumulative sexual victimization and past-month suicide ideation frequency was indirectly affected by depressive symptoms, thwarted belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness, in serial. Discussion Results indicated that the indirect effects model proposed by Poindexter et al. was significant in that more frequent lifetime sexual victimization related to more frequent past-month suicide ideation, and this relationship was strengthened indirectly by depressive symptoms, TB, and PB, in that order. Results underscore the importance of screening survivors of sexual victimization for suicide ideation and associated risk factors, specifically depressive symptoms, TB, and PB.

A cross-sectional examination of sexual victimization and heavy episodic drinking among high school students

Sexual victimization is an important risk factor for problematic alcohol use across the lifespan. Heavy episodic drinking (HED) among high school students is associated with numerous negative physical, psychological, and academic outcomes. Whereas previous research has examined the association between a history of sexual victimization and HED in young adult and adult samples, far less research is focused on high school youth. Accordingly, the present study aims to determine the association between history of sexual victimization and HED among high school students (N = 1,844), in the context of individual (i.e., gender, sexual orientation), peer- (i.e., perceived peer norms), and community-level factors (i.e., school connectedness). Binomial logistic regression analysis showed that among girls, lifetime history of sexual victimization, peer engagement in violence, and perceived peer support for violence were positively associated with HED and school connectedness was negatively associated with HED. Among boys, whereas perceived peer support for violence was positively associated with HED, school connectedness was negatively associated with HED. Self-identifying as lesbian, gay, or bisexual was not associated with HED for girls or boys. Findings elucidate the importance of addressing sexual victimization, perceptions of school connectedness, and perceptions of peer support for violence in the context of substance use prevention programs for youth.

Self-compassion buffers the internalized alcohol stigma and depression link in women sexual assault survivors who drink to cope

BackgroundDepression is strongly implicated in drinking to cope and the development of alcohol use disorders (AUD) in women, particularly among women with a history of sexual assault victimization (SAV). Alcohol use in women is heavily stigmatized, and substance use stigma is associated with depression. This study examined the link between internalized alcohol stigma (AS) and depression and tested whether self-compassion buffered (i.e., moderated) this association in a sample of women with a history of SAV and unhealthy drinking to cope. MethodWomen sexual assault survivors (N = 288; 82 % White, 91.2 % Non-Hispanic, 20.2 % sexual minority) reporting unhealthy drinking (Alcohol Use Disorders Inventory Test-C ≥ 4) and drinking to cope (Drinking Coping Motives Questionnaire-Revised ≥ 2) completed online self-report surveys. Hierarchical regression analyses tested associations between internalized-AS and self-compassion with depression after controlling for covariates (age, income, education, AUD symptoms, and posttraumatic stress disorder) and then, whether self-compassion moderated the Internalized-AS and depression link. ResultsInternalized-AS accounted for 1.4 % of variance in depression (p < .01); self-compassion accounted for added variance when subsequently modeled (8.2 %, p < .001). Moderation analyses revealed self-compassion to buffer the internalized-AS and depression link. Among participants reporting high levels of self-compassion, there was no association between internalized-AS and depression (p = .894). DiscussionWhile findings are modest, they align with the previously observed link between internalized-AS and depression and extend these findings to women with a history of SAV endorsing elevated coping motives and unhealthy drinking. Self-compassion may protect against this link, pending further research sampling greater diversity of participants and longitudinal and controlled designs.

"I'm Not a Child Molester, But a Victim Myself": Examining Rationalizations Among Male Sex Offenders Who Report Histories of Childhood Sexual Abuse.

Persons convicted of sexual offenses (PCSOs) hold distorted attitudes and beliefs, or rationalizations that minimize the severity of their offending. Despite this, knowledge of rationalizations held by PCSOs remains limited, especially for offenders who report being sexually abused as children. The purpose of the study was to qualitatively assess post-conviction rationalizations of PCSOs who reported childhood sexual abuse (n = 40) and those who reported no sexual abuse (n = 40) focusing on account variations-a framework proposed by Scott & Lyman. Offenders were interviewed and assessed for risk and community notification purposes in 2014 in a southern state. The manner in which PCSOs use rationalizations to avert responsibility for their offenses provides insight into their motivations for offending, and therefore, can inform treatment initiatives for PCSOs with and without histories of sexual victimization. Results can help inform differentiated treatment for those with histories of sexual abuse and those without.