scholarly journals Social reactions, self-blame, and problem drinking in adult sexual assault survivors.

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rannveig Sigurvinsdottir ◽  
Sarah E. Ullman
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Problem Drinking ◽  
Sexual Assault Survivors ◽  
Self Blame ◽  
Social Reactions ◽  
Adult Sexual Assault ◽  
Assault Survivors

Correlates of Women’s Sexual Assault Disclosure to Informal and Formal Support Sources

2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 417-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura L. Starzynski ◽  
Sarah E. Ullman ◽  
Henrietta H. Filipas ◽  
Stephanie M. Townsend
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Informal Support ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sexual Assault Survivors ◽  
Self Blame ◽  
Formal Support ◽  
Social Reactions ◽  
Adult Sexual Assault ◽  
Attributions Of Blame ◽  
Assault Survivors

Deciding which people to tell about sexual assault is an important and potentially consequential decision for sexual assault survivors. Women typically receive many different positive and negative reactions when they disclose sexual assault to social support sources. A diverse sample of adult sexual assault survivors in the Chicago area was surveyed about sexual assault experiences, social reactions received when disclosing assault to others, attributions of blame, coping strategies, and PTSD. Analyses were run to identify demographic, assault, and postassault factors differentiating women disclosing to informal support sources only from those disclosing to both informal and formal support sources. Women disclosing to both formal and informal support sources experienced more stereotypical assaults, had more PTSD symptoms, engaged in less behavioral self-blame, and received more negative social reactions than those disclosing to informal support sources only. Implications for future research and intervention are discussed.

Social Reactions, Coping Strategies, and Self-Blame Attributions in Adjustment to Sexual Assault

1996 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 505-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Ullman
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Mail Survey ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Sexual Assault Survivors ◽  
Self Blame ◽  
Social Reactions ◽  
Assault Victims ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Negative Social Reactions

The present study investigated the impact of social reactions of others to sexual-assault victims on disclosure of their victimization. A convenience sample of adult sexual-assault victims ( N = 155) completed a mail survey in which they reported information about their sexual assaults and postassault experiences. As expected, all negative social reactions were strongly associated with increased psychological symptoms, whereas most positive social reactions were unrelated to adjustment. The only social reactions related to better adjustment were being believed and being listened to by others. Victims experiencing negative social reactions also reported poorer adjustment even when other variables known to affect psychological recovery were controlled. Avoidance coping mediated the association of negative social reactions with adjustment. Implications of these findings for research and treatment of sexual-assault survivors are discussed.

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