Sarah E Ullman
Biographic Data
| ID | 4890770 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sarah E Ullman |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sarah E |
| FAMILY NAME | Ullman |
| SIGNATURE | ULLMAN S E |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Illinois Chicago |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9530-5389 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 81 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 675 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 81 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1993 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 13 |
Survivor- and Informal Support-Initiated Disclosures of Alcohol/Drug Sexual Assaults
Ample research exists on sexual assault (SA) disclosure from the survivor perspective, yet studies with dyadic data, including their informal support providers (SPs), remain scarce. This is particularly true for substance-involved assaults which have been less studied. The present study of 29 survivors, 13 of whom were survivor-SP dyads, used interview data to address this gap. We examine how romantic partners, family, and friends experience SA d…
Substance Use-Related Social Reactions to Sexual Assault Disclosures
A longitudinal analysis of social integration, perceived emotional support, and posttraumatic stress in a community sample of sexual assault survivors
Social support has long been recognized as an individual and community resource that can reduce stress and promote well‐being, both in everyday life and after traumatic events. This study sought to explore the impact of two types of social support—social integration and perceived emotional support—on sexual assault survivors' longitudinal experiences of posttraumatic stress. We built on a previously conducted latent transition analysis to identif…
Strategies for facilitating support, self-care, and well-being of research team members studying sexual assault
This article covers the author’s experiences conducting sexual assault research for 30 years using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Lessons learned while doing this research and strategies for self-care, including processing one’s experience in the research context and managing research teams with undergraduate and graduate research assistants are described. I draw on experiences of other researchers and clinical research findings in th…
Adaptive coping in sexual assault
Research and clinical implications are drawn to facilitate survivors' adaptive coping from survivor and informal SP perspectives. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Psychosocial correlates of alcohol-specific negative social reactions in alcohol-involved sexual assault survivor–informal support dyads
Implications are drawn for future research and intervention with survivors and their informal SPs to reduce negative social reactions to alcohol-involved assaults. Education and training are needed for informal SPs to reduce their negative alcohol-specific social reactions to alcohol-involved assault disclosures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Sexual violence happens to us too”
Are All Substance-Involved Sexual Assaults Alike? A Comparison of Victim Alcohol Use, Drug Use, and Combined Substance Use in Sexual Assaults
Sexual assaults involving victim substance use at the time of the assault are common, but little is known about how different types of substances used at the time of the assault impact post-assault outcomes. The current study sought to compare victim alcohol use, drug use, and combined substance use in sexual assaults among a community sample of 693 victims. It was hypothesized that victims in the combined substance use assault type would report …
The Process of Online Disclosures of Interpersonal Victimization
Theory and research on disclosure of interpersonal victimization, including intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and child abuse, has produced rich scholarship promoting a greater understanding of the challenges and implications of disclosure for survivors. However, in the last decade, social media platforms have opened new online disclosure opportunities that diverge from and overlap with offline disclosure. This highlights the need for ad…
Older Women in South Korea
Correlates of Social Reactions to Victims’ Disclosures of Sexual Assault and Intimate Partner Violence
Sexual assault and intimate partner violence (IPV) are common experiences in women, but few studies have examined correlates of social reactions experienced by victims telling others about assault. This systematic review identified 30 studies through searches of research databases on correlates of social reactions to disclosure of sexual assault or IPV in samples of adult victims or disclosure recipients. Studies showed evidence of greater negati…
Disclosure of Sexual Assault Among Sexual and Gender Minorities
Sexual assault is common in sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals, but few studies have examined SGM victims’ disclosure experiences. This systematic review identified 13 studies through searches of research databases on SGM populations with sexual victimization. These studies showed wide variation in disclosure rates, various barriers to disclosure, and psychological impacts of social reactions to disclosure on SGM individuals. Bisexual w…
Sexual assault disclosure and outcomes in the LGB+ community
Survivors’ Experiences of Sexual Assault by Intimate Partners
Longitudinal patterns of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among sexual assault survivors
The substantial heterogeneity in sexual assault survivors' PTSD symptoms highlights the variety of ways that posttraumatic stress may be experienced years after a sexual assault. Future research should explore factors that affect long-term symptoms, including cumulative lifetime trauma and social support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
The Feasibility of a Novel Recruitment Protocol for Collecting Survivor Data via Disclosure Recipient Referrals
The current arricle describes a novel recruitment protocol for collecting data from sexual assault and intimate partner violence survivors referred to research studies by individuals to whom they had previously disclosed. Challenges in both recruiting participants and interpreting data are described. Only 35.8% of cases had usable data for both survivors and disclosure recipients, suggesting that this referral method had limited success in recrui…
What relates to length of stay in a sober living home among women with histories of victimization and addiction? A longitudinal analysis
Despite preliminary research suggesting that length of stay in sober living homes (SLHs) is related to sustained sobriety, little research has examined factors that relate to length of stay in SLHs. The purpose of the proposed exploratory study was to prospectively examine baseline characteristics of women with histories of addiction and victimization as correlates of length of stay in a trauma‐informed, gender‐responsive SLH. Participants ( N = …
Online Disclosure of Sexual Victimization and Social Reactions
Many survivors of sexual violence share their experiences with someone. As social media becomes an increasingly common platform for disclosing and responding to sexual victimization, it is vital to consider how existing research examining in-person disclosure of sexual victimization – and the social reactions of support providers – may or may not generalize to the experience of disclosing sexual victimization in online spaces. Following a public …
Exploring the association between anticipated and actual responses to disclosures of intimate partner violence and sexual assault
Victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault (SA) commonly disclose their experiences to friends or family members, or within other personal relationships. Disclosure recipients’ responses to these disclosures are associated with victims’ mental health. Previous research has separately measured both actual responses to IPV/SA and anticipated responses to IPV/SA (e.g., response to a hypothetical scenario) from the perspective of d…
A program to improve social reactions to sexual and dating violence disclosures reduces posttraumatic stress in subsequently victimized participants
Objective: Research consistently documents the high rates and deleterious outcomes of dating and sexual violence (DSV) among college students. Thus, there is an urgency to identify cost-effective interventions that can mitigate the negative outcomes associated with these forms of violence. The purpose of the current study was to conduct secondary analyses to assess whether a two-session, face-to-face social support intervention (i.e., Supporting …
African American Sexual Assault Survivors and Mental Health Help-Seeking
Little research has focused on African American women's sexual assault victimization and mental health seeking. A mixed methods study was conducted to explore African American women's sexual assault in relationship to mental health seeking and experiences with mental health providers in a large community sample. Quantitative survey and qualitative interview data indicated unique correlates of immediate and longer term seeking of help from various…
Reasons for and Experiences of Sexual Assault Nondisclosure in a Diverse Community Sample
Social reactions to disclosure of interpersonal violence and psychopathology
Posttraumatic stress disorder and measurement invariance in a sample of sexual assault survivors
Trauma researchers and practitioners are advised to monitor item-level movement on dysphoria scales rather than focus on the average cluster score, because items in this symptom cluster may change in a less predictable way than do items in other symptom clusters. Lack of attention to this issue may lead to inaccurate or incomplete conclusions about how PTSD symptom clusters evolve over time. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights rese…
Sexual Assault Survivors’ Post-Traumatic Growth
Past research has focused on individual differences in post-traumatic growth (PTG) among survivors, but no studies to date have examined differences at the neighborhood level. This exploratory study uses data from a 3-year longitudinal study of women sexual assault survivors ( N = 1,863) living in a segregated city. We tested random intercept models of individuals nested within neighborhoods. Disrupted core beliefs, greater perceived control over…
Revising the SES
The Sexual Experiences Survey (SES) assesses victimization and perpetration of unwanted sexual experiences (e.g., Koss, Gidycz, & Wisniewski, 1987 ). Revised versions of the SES that resulted from the work of the SES Collaboration are now available. This article reviews weaknesses of the SES that were identified, strengths that were preserved, and methodological considerations in the measurement of unwanted sexual experiences that informed the re…
Social Reactions, Coping Strategies, and Self-Blame Attributions in Adjustment to Sexual Assault
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 socia…
Psychometric Characteristics of the Social Reactions Questionnaire
Negative social reactions are common responses to disclosures of sexual assault. A study was undertaken to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of a new measure of social reactions to sexual assault victims, the Social Reactions Questionnaire (SRQ). Good reliability and validity were demonstrated for the measure in three samples of sexual assault victims: community volunteers, college students, and victims contacting mental health agencies. …
Structural Models of the Relations of Assault Severity, Social Support, Avoidance Coping, Self-Blame, and PTSD Among Sexual Assault Survivors
A number of studies have identified which survivors of sexual assault are more likely to develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most correlates that have been identified have been at the individual level. Insufficient attention has been given to whether survivors' social interactions impact their individual responses to assault and subsequent levels of psychological symptomatology. In this study, a large, diverse sample of comm…
Creating a More Complete and Current Picture
This study sought to identify factors that predicted outcomes for sexual assault cases involving female victims across several decision-making points and compare these findings to prior studies. The results indicate that there continues to be a high attrition rate in the handling of sexual assault cases. Only 9.7% of cases examined resulted in charges. In regards to processing decisions, most of the factors that predicted whether cases were found…
The Efficacy of Women's Resistance Strategies in Rape Situations
The effectiveness of women's resistance strategies for reducing the severity of sexual abuse and physical injury during sexual assaults was analyzed in a variety of assault circumstances. Data were obtained from police reports and court testimonies of 274 women (96% White, 4% Black) who either were raped or avoided rape by subsequently incarcerated violent stranger rapists. Statistical analyses showed that particular resistance strategies were ef…
Women’s Reporting of Sexual and Physical Assaults to Police in the National Violence Against Women Survey
Previous research has assumed that rape reporting is unique, but no study has systematically tested this assumption. The present study used a probability sample of female victims from the National Violence Against Women Survey to compare factors affecting rape and physical assault reporting using multinomial logit regression. Overall, results suggested that there was similarity in reporting decisions between rapes and physical assaults in terms o…
Sexual Orientation, Race, and Trauma as Predictors of Sexual Assault Recovery
Unsupported or Turned Against
Social reactions to disclosures of sexual assault have significant effects on women's post-assault outcomes (see Ullman, 2010, for a review). The Social Reactions Questionnaire (SRQ; Ullman, 2000) measures these reactions (as reported by survivors) and aggregates them into positive and negative scales. However, studies indicate that only some "negative" reactions have a negative valence for survivors whereas others produce a mixed (positive and n…
Barriers to Working With Sexual Assault Survivors
To better understand barriers service providers may face when advocating for survivors, a study using grounded theory and qualitative, semistructured interviews was conducted of rape victim advocates (N= 25) working in rape crisis centers in a large metropolitan area. Broader societal attitudes framed and were reflected in institutional responses to victims and in barriers faced by advocates working with survivors. Organizational barriers noted b…
Navigating Sex and Sexuality After Sexual Assault
Qualitative interview data from 45 matched pairs of survivors disclosing sexual assaults and their primary informal support providers (e.g., friend, family member, significant other) were used to explore survivor and support provider perspectives on changes in sexuality postassault and how those close to them have been affected as a result. Changes in sexuality included loss of interest in sex, increase or change in sexual partners, engaging in s…
Alcohol and Sexual Aggression in a National Sample of College Men
Alcohol use prior to sexual assault by both offenders and their victims may be associated with the severity of sexual aggression men commit against women. Little research has explored the pathways (e.g., social context, behavior) through which alcohol may affect outcomes of sexual attacks. The present study analyzed the role of alcohol in sexual assaults ( N = 694) committed by men identified from a national sample ( N = 2,972) of male college st…
Sexual Assault History and Health-Related Outcomes in a National Sample of Women
This study examined correlates of past-year chronic medical conditions and lifetime contact with health care professionals for mental health and substance abuse problems in women with differing histories of sexual victimization ( N = 627) identified from the National Comorbidity Survey (e.g., assault in childhood, adulthood, or both life phases). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and stressful life events were associated with greater odds of c…
Mental Health Services Seeking in Sexual Assault Victims
Sexual assault victims experience significant mental health sequelae from being victimized. Despite these psychological symptoms, survivors seek traditional mental health services at low rates. Little research has addressed the potential barriers that may lead to lower rates of mental health service seeking or whether these services in fact help survivors to recover from the psychological impact of sexual assault. This paper reviews literature on…
Surviving the Storm
African American women are at high risk for sexual assault. In addition, many African American women endorse the use of social support and religiosity to cope with trauma. The current study investigates the relationship between these two coping strategies and posttrauma symptoms in a sample of 413 African American female sexual assault survivors using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings indicated that survivors…
PTSD Symptoms and Self-Rated Recovery Among Adult Sexual Assault Survivors
Prior research has demonstrated that self-blame is predictive of more posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and poorer recovery ( Frazier, 2003 ; Koss, Figueredo, & Prince, 2002 ), and perceived control over recovery is associated with less distress ( Frazier, 2003 ) in adult sexual assault (ASA) survivors. A structural equation model was tested to examine the role of traumatic events, self-blame, perceived control over recovery, and copi…
Social Reactions to Sexual Assault Disclosure, Coping, Perceived Control, and PTSD Symptoms in Sexual Assault Victims
The social reactions that sexual assault victims receive when they disclose their assault have been found to relate to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Using path analysis and a large sample of sexual assault survivors (N = 1863), we tested whether perceived control, maladaptive coping, and social and individual adaptive coping strategies mediated the relationships between social reactions to disclosure and PTSD symptoms. We found t…
Reasons for and Experiences of Sexual Assault Nondisclosure in a Diverse Community Sample
Social Reactions to Sexual Assault Disclosure
This interview study examined 45 informal support dyads where sexual assault was disclosed. Analysis showed social reactions and appraisals of reactions varied by relationship type (family, friend, significant other). Themes identified were role reversal or "parentification" of supporters, reactions of anger and aggression toward perpetrators, supporters using their own trauma experiences to respond to survivors, and reactions of betrayal. Result…
Correlates of Postassault Self-Defense/Assertiveness Training Participation for Sexual Assault Survivors
Past research has shown that self-defense/assertiveness training may have positive implications for sexual assault survivors. However, little is known about the correlates of self-defense/assertiveness training participation for sexually victimized women. In this study we examined the assault characteristics and experiences that relate to women's enrollment in postassault training using data from 1,623 female college sexual assault survivors. It …
African American Sexual Assault Survivors and Mental Health Help-Seeking
Little research has focused on African American women's sexual assault victimization and mental health seeking. A mixed methods study was conducted to explore African American women's sexual assault in relationship to mental health seeking and experiences with mental health providers in a large community sample. Quantitative survey and qualitative interview data indicated unique correlates of immediate and longer term seeking of help from various…
Sexual Assault in Bisexual and Heterosexual Women Survivors
Social support is related to sexual minority status and negative psychological impact among sexual assault survivors. We compared bisexual and heterosexual survivors on how different types of social support are connected to symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. A community sample of bisexual and heterosexual (N = 905) women sexual assault survivors completed three annual surveys. Heterosexual women reported greater perc…
Predicting Sexual Assault Revictimization in a Longitudinal Sample of Women Survivors
This study used a large community sample of women sexual assault survivors to prospectively assess 17 theorized predictors across four types of sexual assault revictimization: unwanted contact, coercion, substance-involved assault (SIA), and force. Results indicated that predictors varied across types of revictimization: Unwanted contact and coercion appeared more common in social contexts more hostile toward survivors, whereas forcible assaults …
Sexual Assault Survivors’ Experiences with Mental Health Professionals
An interview study of 15 sexual assault survivors' narratives examined positive and negative post-assault experiences with mental health professionals. Survivors who told one professional had more positive experiences than those who told multiple professionals. Qualitative analyses revealed how help seeking experiences were related to the context and nature of disclosures, survivors' readiness to disclose, trust building, social reactions receive…
Age and Educational Differences in African American Women's Sexual Assault Experiences
Although research on sexual assault and its postassault consequences has grown, information on knowledge of postassault experiences for African American women remains limited. A large sample of African American women ( N = 495) were surveyed about their sexual assault experiences, attributions of blame, disclosure, and social reactions received following assault. Age, educational attainment, and sexual assault severity were examined in relation t…
The Efficacy of Women's Resistance Strategies in Rape Situations
The effectiveness of women's resistance strategies for reducing the severity of sexual abuse and physical injury during sexual assaults was analyzed in a variety of assault circumstances. Data were obtained from police reports and court testimonies of 274 women (96% White, 4% Black) who either were raped or avoided rape by subsequently incarcerated violent stranger rapists. Statistical analyses showed that particular resistance strategies were ef…
Predictors of exposure to traumatic events and posttraumatic stress sequelae
The relationship of traumatic events to posttraumatic symptomatology was examined in a randomized community survey (N = 2,364) of Los Angeles residents. Exposure to traumatic events was associated with younger age, less education, recent life events, and a history of psychiatric disorder. Risk of increased posttraumatic stress symptoms following traumatic event exposure was associated with older age, recent life events, sexual assault, and househ…
Correlates and Consequences of Adult Sexual Assault Disclosure
The present study investigated disclosure of sexual assault to members of one's social network in a convenience sample of sexual assault victims (N = 155) completing a mail survey. Three sets of correlates (demographics, assault characteristics, postassault experiences) of the timing of sexual assault disclosure and subsequent social reactions received from social network members were examined. Delayed disclosure was associated with childhood sex…
Do Social Reactions to Sexual Assault Victims Vary by Support Provider?
The present study investigated whether the type of social reaction(s) experienced by sexual assault victims varies according to the type of social support provider told about the assault in a convenience sample of victims ( N = 155) completing a mail survey. Both closed-ended data and open-ended written responses were analyzed to determine the types of social reactions victims experienced from a variety of informal and formal support providers. T…
Social Reactions, Coping Strategies, and Self-Blame Attributions in Adjustment to Sexual Assault
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 socia…
Social support and recovery from sexual assault
Alcohol and Sexual Assault in a National Sample of College Women
Alcohol is associated with risk of sexual assault among women and with increased risk of experiencing completed rape once attacked. In particular, alcohol use prior to sexual assault by both offenders and victims may affect the severity of sexual victimization experienced by women. Little research has explored the mechanisms (e.g., social context, behavior) through which alcohol may affect outcomes of sexual attacks using multivariate analysis. T…
Alcohol and Sexual Aggression in a National Sample of College Men
Alcohol use prior to sexual assault by both offenders and their victims may be associated with the severity of sexual aggression men commit against women. Little research has explored the pathways (e.g., social context, behavior) through which alcohol may affect outcomes of sexual attacks. The present study analyzed the role of alcohol in sexual assaults ( N = 694) committed by men identified from a national sample ( N = 2,972) of male college st…
Psychometric Characteristics of the Social Reactions Questionnaire
Negative social reactions are common responses to disclosures of sexual assault. A study was undertaken to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of a new measure of social reactions to sexual assault victims, the Social Reactions Questionnaire (SRQ). Good reliability and validity were demonstrated for the measure in three samples of sexual assault victims: community volunteers, college students, and victims contacting mental health agencies. …
Correlates of Formal and Informal Support Seeking in Sexual Assault Victims
Correlates of service seeking were examined in a sample of 323 sexual assault victims. Several barriers to disclosure to different formal support providers were explored to determine whether victim characteristics, assault variables, and postassault experiences differentiated those women who sought formal assistance from those seeking informal support only. As expected, victims of stranger rapes with more injury were more likely to seek support f…
Predictors of PTSD symptom severity and social reactions in sexual assault victims
Demographics, assault variables, and postassault responses were analyzed as correlates of PTSD symptom severity in a sample of 323 sexual assault victims. Regression analyses indicated that less education, greater perceived life threat, and receipt of more negative social reactions upon disclosing assault were each related to greater PTSD symptom severity. Ethnic minority victims reported more negative social reactions from others. Victims of mor…
Sexual assault history, PTSD, and mental health service seeking in a national sample of women
This study examined correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mental health service seeking for women sexually assaulted in childhood and/or adulthood (N = 619) identified from the National Comorbidity Survey (1990–1992). Factors related to correlates of PTSD and mental health service seeking varied according to sexual assault history. Ethnic minority women with less formal education, more traumatic and stressful life events, and lon…
Sexual Assault History and Health-Related Outcomes in a National Sample of Women
This study examined correlates of past-year chronic medical conditions and lifetime contact with health care professionals for mental health and substance abuse problems in women with differing histories of sexual victimization ( N = 627) identified from the National Comorbidity Survey (e.g., assault in childhood, adulthood, or both life phases). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and stressful life events were associated with greater odds of c…
Correlates of Postassault Self-Defense/Assertiveness Training Participation for Sexual Assault Survivors
Past research has shown that self-defense/assertiveness training may have positive implications for sexual assault survivors. However, little is known about the correlates of self-defense/assertiveness training participation for sexually victimized women. In this study we examined the assault characteristics and experiences that relate to women's enrollment in postassault training using data from 1,623 female college sexual assault survivors. It …
Gender differences in social reactions to abuse disclosures, post-abuse coping, and PTSD of child sexual abuse survivors
Interviewing Clinicians and Advocates Who Work With Sexual Assault Survivors
This article describes the author's personal experiences of conducting a qualitative semistructured interview study, after having done predominantly quantitative survey research in the social sciences. The author describes the process of learning how to approach conducting semistructured interviews with female advocates and clinicians who provide services to sexual assault survivors in the community. The author describes making the transition fro…
Child Sexual Abuse, Coping Responses, Self-Blame, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Adult Sexual Revictimization
The present study examined the psychological sequelae of child sexual abuse (CSA) and the factors that contributed to revictimization in the form of adult sexual assault (ASA) using a survey of 577 female college students. CSA characteristics, maladaptive coping in response to CSA, degree of self-blame at the time of the abuse and currently, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were examined as predictors of revictimization. Results …
Psychosocial correlates of PTSD symptom severity in sexual assault survivors
This study's goal was to assess the effects of preassault, assault, and postassault psychosocial factors on current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms of sexual assault survivors. An ethnically diverse sample of over 600 female sexual assault survivors was recruited from college, community, and mental health agency sources (response rate = 90%). Regression analyses tested the hypothesis that postassault psychosocial variables, includin…
A 10-Year Update of “Review and Critique of Empirical Studies of Rape Avoidance”
Ullman’s review of empirical studies of rape avoidance is updated to illuminate what has been learned in the past 10 years and what is needed to continue to promote this important form of secondary prevention. Following a brief historical review, empirical studies of resistance strategies to sexual assaults since 1997 are reviewed. Studies of the effects of situational factors, rapist types, and victim-offender relationships on women’s resistance…
Age and Educational Differences in African American Women's Sexual Assault Experiences
Although research on sexual assault and its postassault consequences has grown, information on knowledge of postassault experiences for African American women remains limited. A large sample of African American women ( N = 495) were surveyed about their sexual assault experiences, attributions of blame, disclosure, and social reactions received following assault. Age, educational attainment, and sexual assault severity were examined in relation t…
Barriers to Working With Sexual Assault Survivors
To better understand barriers service providers may face when advocating for survivors, a study using grounded theory and qualitative, semistructured interviews was conducted of rape victim advocates (N= 25) working in rape crisis centers in a large metropolitan area. Broader societal attitudes framed and were reflected in institutional responses to victims and in barriers faced by advocates working with survivors. Organizational barriers noted b…
Structural Models of the Relations of Assault Severity, Social Support, Avoidance Coping, Self-Blame, and PTSD Among Sexual Assault Survivors
A number of studies have identified which survivors of sexual assault are more likely to develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most correlates that have been identified have been at the individual level. Insufficient attention has been given to whether survivors' social interactions impact their individual responses to assault and subsequent levels of psychological symptomatology. In this study, a large, diverse sample of comm…
Revising the SES
The Sexual Experiences Survey (SES) assesses victimization and perpetration of unwanted sexual experiences (e.g., Koss, Gidycz, & Wisniewski, 1987 ). Revised versions of the SES that resulted from the work of the SES Collaboration are now available. This article reviews weaknesses of the SES that were identified, strengths that were preserved, and methodological considerations in the measurement of unwanted sexual experiences that informed the re…
Mental Health Services Seeking in Sexual Assault Victims
Sexual assault victims experience significant mental health sequelae from being victimized. Despite these psychological symptoms, survivors seek traditional mental health services at low rates. Little research has addressed the potential barriers that may lead to lower rates of mental health service seeking or whether these services in fact help survivors to recover from the psychological impact of sexual assault. This paper reviews literature on…
What factors predict women's disclosure of sexual assault to mental health professionals
Although many sexual assault survivors seek support from mental health sources for adverse psychological symptoms due to sexual assault, many do not. A diverse sample of adult sexual assault survivors was surveyed about their sexual assault experiences, social reactions received when disclosing assault, attributions of blame, coping strategies, and psychological symptomatology. Statistical analyses were run to identify demographic, assault, and p…
Psychology (72 works) · Poison control (70 works) · Medicine (68 works) · Medical emergency (63 works) · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies (63 works) · Clinical Psychology (58 works) · Sexual assault (53 works) · Suicide prevention (52 works) · Psychiatry (46 works) · Intimate Partner and Family Violence (40 works)