Browsing by Subject "Sexual assault"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Depressive Symptoms following Recent Sexual Assault: The Role of Drug and Alcohol Use, Acute Stress, and Assault Characteristics
    (SAGE Publications, 2018-10-24) Dir, Allyson L.; Hahn, Christine; Jaffe, Anna E.; Stanton, Kimberly; Gilmore, Amanda K.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Sexual assault is a common traumatic experience that can have a wide-ranging impact on psychological functioning, including experience of depressive symptoms. While many studies have examined lifetime rates of depression among those with sexual assault history, less is known regarding risk factors for depressive symptoms following recent sexual assault. The study examined whether drug use history is uniquely related to depressive symptoms following recent assault. Method: N = 65 individuals (5.4% female; 73.8% white; M(SD)age = 28.89 (10.29)) who had recently experienced sexual assault (less than 60 days) and completed a SAMFE were interviewed via phone and completed questionnaires regarding depressive and acute/posttraumatic stress symptoms and substance use history. Demographic information as well as information related to the assault was also collected. Results: 68.7% of the sample reported clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 scores ≥ 12). In a linear mixed model, drug use was significantly related depressive symptoms (β = .19, p = .04), even controlling for acute/posttraumatic stress (β = .72, p < .01) and other variables. Individuals who identified as white reported more severe depressive symptoms (β = .19, p = .02). Forced sexual assault (β = −.07), victim-perpetrator relationship (β = −.01), alcohol misuse (β = −.06), and days since assault (β = −.08) were not significantly related to depressive symptoms (p’s>.05). Conclusion: Results highlight the potential role of drug use in increasing risk for experiencing clinically significant depressive symptoms following recent assault.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    "I'm Spoon-feeding him my Trauma": An Analysis of Sexual Assault Survivors' Privacy Management in Romantic Relationships
    (2023-05) Unruh, Margret; Bute, Jennifer J.; Brann, Maria; Longtin, Krista
    Survivors of sexual assault make difficult privacy management decisions regarding their experiences, particularly in romantic relationships where physical intimacy makes these sensitive disclosures even more complex. As fever is an indicator of illness and a part of healing from the illness, disclosure can be an indicator of underlying disturbance and a part of the restorative process. Additionally, communication privacy management (CPM) theory considers ownership, control, and turbulence to illustrate how private information is regulated. Through qualitative, semi-structured interviews (n=19) and a phronetic iterative approach to data analysis, I examined the ways survivors of sexual assault managed their private information regarding their experiences in a romantic relationship and if disclosure relieved any psychological distress of the survivor. Results of this study offer insight into the ways participants controlled their personal information through the privacy management process; the establishment of boundaries surrounding ongoing disclosures; and the emotional effect of various privacy management strategies on participants, their partners, and the relationship. Reaching across theoretical concepts, this research offers a comprehensive understanding of the factors salient when managing private information regarding sexual assault. This research also provides practical applications for considering the influence of various privacy management approaches and their influence on the physical and psychological health of the survivor and the health of the relationship.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Problematic alcohol use and sexting as risk factors for sexual assault among college women
    (Taylor & Francis, 2018-10) Dir, Allyson L.; Riley, Elizabeth N.; Cyders, Melissa A.; Smith, Gregory T.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Sexual assault is a major public health concern and college women are four times more likely to experience sexual assault than any other group. We investigated whether sexting is a mechanism by which alcohol use increases risk for college women to be targeted for sexual assault. We hypothesized that sexting would mediate the relationship between problem drinking and sexual assault, such that drinking (T1 = beginning fall semester) would contribute to increased sexting (T2 = end fall semester), and in turn increase the risk of being targeted for sexual assault (T3 = end spring semester). Results: Among 332 undergraduate women (M(SD)age = 19.15(1.69), 76.9% Caucasian), sexting (T2) predicted sexual assault (T3; b = 3.98, p = .05), controlling for baseline sexual assault (b = 0.82, p < .01). Further, sexting (T2) mediated the relationship between problem drinking (T1) and sexual assault (T3) (b = 0.04, CI[.004,.12]). Conclusion: Findings suggest that sexting is one mechanism through which drinking increases the risk of college women being targeted for sexual assault.