Rape Trauma Syndrome Research Articles

Sartrean Insights on Understanding the Repercussions of Rape Trauma in the Gripping Narratives of Roxanne Gay and Neesha Arter

Women have been subjugated to violence from time immemorial. One of the most horrific forms of violence is sexual violence and rape. Their voice was not heard until the rise of second wave feminism which began around 1970. Women started to write about their experiences in the form of memoirs to bring to light the atrocities of rape and the implications of trauma and its impact. Sexual assault inflicts profound psychological and emotional wounds that give rise to a condition referred to as ‘Rape Trauma”. Rape Trauma Syndrome includes of a wide range of physical and psychological signs such as insomnia, nightmare, flashbacks, anxiety, and depression and so on and they last for a long period of time in one’s life. The research uses two memoirs written by American women, Roxanne Gay’s Hunger: A Memoir of my Body (2017) and Neesha Arter’s Controlled: The worst Night of my Life and its Aftermath (2015). The research uses Sartre’s perspective on embodiment, freedom, self to analyse rape trauma. The research uses Jean Paul Sartre’s concept to analyse the immense effects of rape trauma on the lives of the two women as documented in their memoirs. Using the framework provided by Constance L. Mui, the research delineates how rape trauma destroys the fundamental project of the protagonists and how rape trauma annihilates an individual from her own body and isolates her from the world.

EXPLORATION OF OVERWHELMING CRISIS OF PTSD THROUGH TRAUMA NARRATIVE OF ROXANE GAY'S AN UNTAMED STATE

The 21st century is a tech world undergoing surplus uctuations, familiarizing the new era, literature reects real life changes, challenges, problems and chaos. Though complications like famine, pandemic, accidents, failures, physical abuses, wars etc., physically gets alright, mind and the repressed memory nds a way out and the individual faces the psychological tremor, recollecting and re-living the traumatic moment that causes anxiety and waves of panic. The main objective of this paper is to explore the overwhelming emotional crisis of an individual affected from PTSD and the ruptured life after the traumatic incident through the interesting narrative of Roxane Gay's An Untamed State. The plot revolves around the character Mireille, a lawyer abducted for a huge ransom undergoes severe physical and psychological torture. The real horror of her life and unspeakable trauma explodes when she was released after 13 days. Her devastating bitter experience starts to shake her life stripping her identity and affecting her remarkable life altogether. The novel and the psychological study credibly portray and put forth the intricacies of rape trauma syndrome stricken life and surviving its erce pangs

The Victim of Historical Child Sexual Abuse in the Irish Courts 1999–2006

In recent years, Ireland has been rocked by revelations of historical child sexual abuse. This has led to a variety of state responses but one question remains particularly difficult to answer: why did the sexual abuse of children go unrecognized as a societal problem for so long? This article seeks answers by scrutinizing cases in which defendants sought to have their trial prohibited because of the delayed reporting. It explores the legal test used in the period 1999–2006, which focussed on the abuser’s ‘dominion’ over the victim. The use of the notion of dominion elicited valuable information about the reasons for the delay and how children were silenced. Uncovering these stories is essential to understanding the dynamics of child sexual abuse. However, a critical reading of the delay cases that draws on feminist critiques of battered woman’s syndrome and rape trauma syndrome reveals law’s power to impose hegemonic discourses onto victims and to produce new histories. Under the dominion paradigm, the courts distorted victims’ accounts of their experiences and sidelined stories that pointed towards a culture of indifference to abuse. Thus, law is shown to occupy a paradoxical position in relation to Ireland’s history of child sexual abuse.

SYTUACJA OFIAR PRZESTĘPSTWA ZGWAŁCENIA PO NOWELIZACJI KODEKSU KARNEGO Z DNIA 13 CZERWCA 2013 R.

The Situation of Rape Victims after the Amendment of 13June 2013to the Polish Penal CodeSummaryThe paper describes the situation of rape victims in Poland followingthe amendment of 13 June 2013 to the Polish Penal Code. Under thenew provisions rape is an offence prosecutable in proceedings officiallybrought by the public prosecutor. Hitherto rape charges were brought bythe victim or the victim’s legal guardian. This study concerns the issueof the substantive and procedural legal consequences for the victim whodoes not want to testify because of the particular situation in which he/she has found himself, e.g. rape trauma syndrome or dependence onthe offender.

An Untamed State by Roxane Gay (review)

Reviewed by: An Untamed State by Roxane Gay Régine Michelle Jean-Charles An Untamed State. By Roxane Gay. New York: Black Cat, 2014. ISBN 0802122515. 368 pp. $16. Roxane Gay’s first novel, An Untamed State, contains many of the typical themes found in contemporary literature by Haitian Americans living in the diaspora. She explores the myth of return, the fraught relationship between generations navigating the cultural shifts from homeland to hostland, cross-cultural marriage, and the gaping chasm between the rich and the poor in Haiti. The novel’s first sentence frames it within the fairytale genre, suggesting an attention to form that will be maintained throughout: “Once upon a time in a far-off land … I was kidnapped by a gang of fearless yet terrified young men with so much impossible hope beating inside their bodies it burned their very skin and strengthened their will right through their bones” (1). The fairy tale that is simultaneously elaborated and deconstructed is about Mireille Duval Jameson, whose supposedly perfect life is irrevocably altered after she is kidnapped by gunmen. Held for thirteen days, she is beaten, tortured, and repeatedly raped. Despite the many other themes present throughout, the novel functions primarily as a rape narrative that describes Mireille’s captivity and her stumbling attempts to put her life back together in the aftermath. In my work on representations of sexual violence, I have argued for analyzing the rape victim/survivor narrative as a genre unto itself that privileges the perspective of the survivor and refuses to use rape as a symbol for something else.1 These narratives often do little to render the violence of rape manageable for the reader. They devote careful attention to the intricacies of rape trauma syndrome—what the survivor experiences before, during, and after the rape. Ultimately these narratives refuse to simplify the healing process (which is never straightforward and almost always incomplete) for the victim/survivor of rape. An Untamed State deploys many of these strategies. As an example of the brutal force of rape that is unrelenting, Gay’s novel exemplifies the expository act of writing sexual violence. Most notably, the first two hundred pages present the details of the kidnapping. The violence is described in unremitting detail that makes the reader want to turn away while also causing us to be drawn more deeply into the atmosphere of the novel. The kidnapping that sets the plot into motion occurs on an idyllic day in Port-au-Prince just as Mireille, her American husband Michael, and their infant son exit the high gates of the lavish Duval family home en route to the beach. Mireille is snatched from the car and brought to an [End Page 203] obscure location where she is held for thirteen days. This length of time is due to the fact that her father refuses to pay the $1,000,000 ransom, fearful that the kidnappers will come back for more after he pays. The first part of the novel seems to mirror the days of captivity, gang rape, physical violence, and torture that Mireille is forced to endure; the scenes of violence describing Mireille’s ordeal are graphically relayed. Mireille is raped, gang-raped, burned, and beaten. She attempts to escape and is dragged back. An Untamed State is about the actual kidnapping itself, but even more about its aftermath: Mireille’s physical, psychological, and emotional brokenness (which she refers to as her death), the irreparable damage done to her relationship with her parents, her inability to return to the life she had before, and the calamitous results in her marriage. She suffers from telltale signs of rape trauma syndrome in the form of triggers, intense feelings of shame, disassociation, and sexual “acting out.” We are taken through the different phases of her emotional, physical, and mental states. At first Mireille fights for her life, repeating her father’s mantra to herself: “There is nothing I cannot get through if I try hard enough” (34). She threatens her captors: “My husband is going to kill you. He is going to tear you apart with his bare hands” (39–40). She fights. “I fought him and he laughed...

Examining the Scientific Validity of Rape Trauma Syndrome

Rape trauma syndrome (RTS) was first described by Burgess and Holmstrom (1974) who argued that there was little information that described the physical and psychological effects of rape, associated therapy and provisions for protection of the victim from further psychological harm. Since then, there have been several critiques of RTS and empirical evidence exists that RTS is not generally accepted by the relevant scientific community. Despite this, RTS is still used in courts. As such, in this article, we comprehensively evaluated RTS and determined that it is vague and imprecise, its evidential status is questionable, it is inconsistent with the most common sequelae of trauma, it ignores important mediating variables and it may not be culturally sensitive. In light of these critiques, we recommend no further use of this model in courts or in clinical practice.

Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Defilement: Case Report

We report a case of the debilitating and lifelong complex post traumatic stress disorder. Data on rape/defilement-related complex post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is rare due to low reporting rates and misdiagnosis in Kenya. Childhood complex PTSD is compounded by its symptomatic overlap with rape trauma syndrome (RTS) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This case demonstrated the difficulties involved in making the correct diagnosis while at the same time it brought to the fore clearly the features of complex PTSD as opposed to ordinary PTSD. Strengths in management depended on making appropriate diagnosis based on concerted efforts by clinicians, comprehensive care, team work, sensitivity to age and sex, winning trust of the child and the care taker among others and bearing in mind the in-ward handling of the trauma by the rape/defilement victims. This case shared a lot with other cases of complex PTSD in its presentation, course of illness, diagnosis and response to management protocol instituted yielding positive results. Using the lessons learnt from this case, her response was satisfactory based on her improved social and occupational functioning. The patient continues to respond well to treatment to date, bearing in mind that her presentation and age within a dysfunctional family background did not offer good prognosis, especially if the management and social support system will not be steadfast and innovative.

Giving Birth with Rape in One's Past: A Qualitative Study

Rape is one of the most traumatizing violations a woman can be subjected to, and leads to extensive health problems, predominantly psychological ones. A large proportion of women develop a form of posttraumatic stress termed Rape Trauma Syndrome. A previous study by our research group has shown that women with a history of rape far more often had an operative delivery in their first birth and those who gave birth vaginally had second stages twice as long as women with no history of sexual assault. The aim of this study is to examine and illuminate how women previously subjected to rape experience giving birth for the first time and their advice on the kind of birth care they regard as good for women with a history of rape. A semi-structured interview with 10 women, who had been exposed to rape before their first childbirth. Data on the birth experience were analyzed by qualitative content analysis. The main theme was "being back in the rape" with two categories: "reactivation of the rape during labor," with subcategories "struggle," "surrender," and "escape" and "re-traumatization after birth," with the subcategories "objectified," "dirtied," and "alienated body." A rape trauma can be reactivated during the first childbirth regardless of mode of delivery. After birth, the women found themselves re-traumatized with the feeling of being dirtied, alienated, and reduced to just a body that another body is to come out of. Birth attendants should acknowledge that the common measures and procedures used during normal birth or cesarean section can contribute to a reactivation of the rape trauma.

Spousal rape: A challenge for pastoral counsellors

This article reflects on the criticism regarding the pastoral counsellor’s dealings with spousal rape victims. It argues that counsellors should be sensitive not to be biased, either personally or theologically, and should have an understanding of the biopsychosocial (biological, psychological and social) impact of spousal rape, such as rape-related post-traumatic stress and other related illnesses such as depression, victimisation and stigmatisation. The pastoral counsellors should be aware of the legal and medical ramifications of spousal rape and have knowledge of the correct referral resources and procedures (trusted professionals, shelters and support structures). They should be self-aware and understand the effect that gender or previous traumatic personal experiences may have on their reactions. The article consists of the following sections: the phenomenon ‘rape’; acquaintance rape; spousal rape; post-traumatic stress; post-traumatic stress disorder; rape trauma syndrome; cognitive behavioural therapy; spirituality; doctrinal matters; social system of patriarchy; a pastoral counselling model; self-care.

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

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.

“I Think I Was Rape”: Black Feminist Readings of Affect and Incest in <em>Precious</em>

This essay views the most explicit scene of sexual violence in the film Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire (2009) through a black feminist optic to argue that the sequence of physical abuse, followed by the flashback of father-daughter rape, and the subsequent fantasy red carpet scene foregrounds the vexing problematics of cinematic rape representations. My discussion is structured around three related arguments. First, the possibility that the trigger leading to a flashback could be the evidence of Precious suffering from rape trauma syndrome is undermined in the narrative’s broader context. Second, the red carpet scene draws the spectator away from rape, replacing the abject spectacle of incest with glamour, celebration, and celebrity. Third, the metatextual signs within the fantasy scene unsettle the viewer’s affective reaction to the rape scene. The essay focuses on each of these premises to argue that placing the rape scene within a larger discourse of sexual violence and deploying a black feminist critique to do so serves to problematize the role of audience affect and incest narratives elaborated in Precious . Overall, throughout this essay I bring together black feminist theoretical approaches, rape cultural criticism, and affect studies, making critical interventions that both consider the role of audi ence affect in rape representation and challenge the conventions of incest narratives in African American cultural production.

Group Advises Clinicians to Routinely Screen Women for Sexual Assault History

DURING MEDICAL VISITS, CLINIcians should routinely screen their female patients, particularly those who report pelvic pain, pain during menstruation, or sexual dysfunction, for a history of sexual assault, according to a new recommendation from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. As many as 18% of women report having been raped or having experienced an attempted rape in their lifetime, according to the National Violence Against Women Survey, which was sponsored by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Justice and collected data from a nationally representative sample of women and men between 1995 and 1996 (https: //www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/183781 .pdf). Such assaults may be associated with both acute and long-term health consequences, including traumatic injuries, a risk of pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, unexplained pain, or sexual dysfunction. They also may experience both short-term and longpsychiatric conditions, according to the recommendation. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, women often experience a rape-trauma syndrome that may last for days or weeks. This acute reaction may include generalized pain, eating and sleep problems, emotional reactions, and mood swings. After this initial phase, a woman may have flashbacks, nightmares, and phobias. These women may also develop posttraumatic stress disorder or substance abuse problems. But despite these serious consequences, women may be reluctant to discuss their assault. The recommendation aims to help more women get appropriate care, explained Veronica Gillispie, MD, a fellow of the college. “By screening, we can definitely help to stop the sequelae,” Gillispie said. The recommendation also advises clinicianstomakeemergencycontraception and prophylaxis for sexually transmitted diseases available in the immediate aftermath of sexual assaults. Additionally, clinicians shouldbeaware thatsomeproceduressuchaspelvic, rectal, breast, and endovaginal ultrasound examinations may trigger panic or anxiety forwomenwhohavebeenassaulted. Discomfort on the part of both the patient and physician may be one reason sexual assault is seldom discussed in clinical settings.“We need to get out of our comfort zone,” said Gillispie. She said that examinations for rape survivors are not very different than those for patients who want to be screened for sexually transmitted diseases, but that physicians may need to familiarize themselves with the local statutory requirements for clinicians conducting rape examinations. The guideline provides more detailed information about such exams. Additionally, the recommendation states that physicians must be prepared to refer women to professionals trained to provide care to rape-trauma victims and who can provide counseling. Many patients who have been raped may not volunteer the information, but maypresentwithsymptomsthathaveno clear cause. For example, women who have been sexually assaulted are more likely than those with no such history to presentwithchronicpelvicpain,painduringmenstruation,orsexualdysfunction. “Keep sexual assault in mind when that patient comes in with pelvic pain or sexual dysfunction,” Gillispie said. “That may be the underlying problem that needs to be treated.” news@JAMA From JAMA’s Daily News Site

Psychological Syndromes and Criminal Responsibility

In criminal cases, evidence about psychological syndromes is typically introduced by the defense in support of insanity, self-defense, or imperfect self-defense claims and by the prosecution to show that a criminal act occurred. The admissibility of defense-proffered testimony about phenomena such as battered woman syndrome, combat stress syndrome, or XYY syndrome depends in the first instance on how insanity, self-defense, and other defensive doctrines are defined (the materiality issue). Additionally, this type of testimony, as well as prosecution-proffered evidence about phenomena such as rape trauma syndrome and abused child syndrome, must bear indicia of reliability (the probative value issue), add to the fact finder's knowledge (the helpfulness issue), and avoid distracting or confusing the fact finder (the prejudice issue). The ultimate admissibility decision involves consideration of the scope of the criminal law, the scientific methodology associated with the syndrome, the counter-intuitiveness of the evidence, and the role and capacities of juries.

Psychological Syndromes and Criminal Responsibility

These two papers both focus on the intersection of the law of evidence with criminal responsibility doctrine, using as a springboard my book, Proving the Unprovable: The Role of Law, Science and Speculation in Adjudicating Culpability and Dangerousness. The first piece, Psychological Syndromes and Criminal Responsibility, appears in the Annual Review of Law and Social Science. It analyzes the admissibility of defense-proffered testimony about phenomena such as battered woman syndrome, combat stress syndrome, and XYY syndrome as well the admissibility of prosecution-proffered evidence about phenomena such as rape trauma syndrome and abused child syndrome. It emphasizes the need to assess, in each instance, materiality (the logical relationship of the evidence to the precise doctrine at issue-insanity, lack of mens rea, etc.), probative value (reliability), helpfulness (the extent to which the evidence adds to the fact-finder knowledge), and prejudice (the extent to which the evidence distracts or confuses the fact-finder). Thus, the ultimate admissibility decision involves consideration of the scope of the criminal law, the scientific methodology associated with the syndrome, the counter-intuitiveness of the evidence, and the role and capacities of juries. The second piece, to appear in a symposium issue of Seton Hall Law Review with the title The Right to Voice Reprised, looks more closely at the probative value issue. Proving the Unprovable argued that criminal defendants ought to be able to present speculative psychiatric testimony if the expert has followed a routinized evaluation process that addresses the relevant legal criterion, an argument based in part on the position that the Constitution can be read to entitle defendants to tell their exculpatory mental state stories. In a recent essay, Professor Lillquist takes aim at this latter rationale, which I called the right to voice. He believes that the right to voice cannot be found in the Constitution or the Supreme Court’s construction of the Constitution, and that in any event recognition of such a right would be a bad idea because it would increase the chance of outcomes. In response, this article bolsters the argument that there is a limited constitutional right to tell exculpatory mental state stories through experts and shows why fear that such a right will generate inaccurate verdicts is unfounded. In the course of doing so, it explains why these arguments apply only to psychiatric evidence and do not require or lead to a more generalized right to present a defense, which appears to be the real concern underlying Professor Lillquist’s essay. Nonetheless, the concluding section of the article departs from the psychiatric context to suggest some new reasons why the notion of a more generalized right to voice at least ought to be on the table.

Information Processing of Sexual Abuse in Elders

Sexual abuse is considered to be a pandemic contemporary public health issue, with significant physical and psychosocial consequences for its victims. However, the incidence of elder sexual assault is difficult to estimate with any degree of confidence. A convenience sample of 284 case records were reviewed for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The purpose of this paper is to present the limited data noted on record review on four PTSD symptoms of startle, physiological upset, anger, and numbness. A treatment model for information processing of intrapsychic trauma is presented to describe domain disruption within a nursing diagnosis of rape trauma syndrome and provide guidance for sensitive assessment and intervention.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Rape trauma syndrome – Time to open the floodgates?

The conviction rate in rape cases remains remarkably low, leading many to believe a new approach is needed to prosecuting such crimes. Many important steps have been taken in relation to the collection and retention of evidence and the setting up of specialist rape prosecutors, but important evidential weaknesses remain present in the system alongside Victorian attitudes to sexual conduct. The British Home Office is currently consulting on a number of measures, including the admissibility of evidence showing the presence of rape trauma syndrome. This paper examines the history of this controversial evidential debate.

Sexualized violence against women and children: a psychology and law perspective

Cling, Introduction. Part 1. Sexualized Violence against Women. Cling, Rape and Rape Trauma Syndrome. Kaser-Boyd, Battered Woman Syndrome: Clinical Features, Evaluation and Expert Testimony. Hempel, Battered Women Who Strike Back: Using Expert Testimony on Battering and Its Effects in Homicide Trials. Rosenfeld, Cling, Stalking. O'Connor, Vallabhajosula, Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: A Legal and Psychological Framework. Part 2. Sexualized Violence against Children. Olafson, Child Sexual Abuse. Brown, Memories of Childhood Abuse: Recovered, Discovered, and Otherwise. Part 3. Perpetrators of Sexualized Violence against Women and Children. Murphy, Management and Treatment of the Adult Sexual Offender. Terry, Cling, Megan's Law: New Protections against Sex Abuse. Blackman, Maternal Violence: The Social Psychology of Mothers Who Kill. Cling, Epilogue.

Review of: Practical Aspects of Rape Investigation: A Multidisciplinary Approach, 3rd Ed.

Abstract This text is divided into four sections. The first four chapters deal with the victim—describing the victim's perspective, rape trauma syndrome, crisis care for the victim, and include a review of contemporary issues and a new chapter on victims in nursing homes. The next ten chapters discuss the investigation of rape and sexual assault, focusing on classifying the rape and profiling the behavior of the offender, including a discussion of false confessions. The third section consists of three chapters describing the recognition and collection of forensic evidence, the forensic medical examination of the victim, and the prosecutor's presentation of the case in court. The fourth section consists of six chapters on special populations, including juvenile and female offenders and sexual predators in nursing homes. The stated aim of this 3rd edition is to present current research findings, new forensic techniques, and recent data about special populations of victims and offenders.

Rape Trauma Syndrome: An Examination of Standards that Determine the Admissibility of Expert Witness Testimony

ABSTRACT Specialized literature on women's reactions to rape was virtually non-existent before the emergence of the women's movement in the early 1970s. By speaking out publicly, however, advocates of the civil rights reform compelled the conception of rape trauma syndrome and a proliferation of research regarding the psychological reactions of rape trauma victims. This growth of psychological knowledge regarding the reaction of rape victims forced the courts to reexamine the standards relating to the admission of expert testimony as developed in the case Frye v. United States. As a result of this reexamination, courts have relied upon opposing standards of proof to determine the admissibility of rape trauma evidence such as those developed in section 403 and 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence and those outlined in the case of Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The purpose of this paper is to examine rape trauma syndrome as it is commonly understood by both the psychological community and the judicial system and to assess its applicability to the admissibility of expert testimony.