Abstract

Sexual assault against women is a prevalent problem on college campuses. Most assaults are perpetrated by someone the victim knows. Adverse reactions to an assault, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Depression, are well established in the psychological literature. This study utilized advanced modeling to assess the interaction of cultural, social, and individual factors in rape recovery. Contextual variables related to the rape (relationship to the perpetrator, victim alcohol or drug use), the reactions victims received from others upon disclosing the assault, and victims' own sexist beliefs about the role of women in society were expected to predict levels of self-blame and greater psychological distress. A sample of 496 university women were recruited for a study titled "stressful life events and intimate relationships." Of this sample, responses from 94 women who endorsed an experience of rape or attempted rape were examined. Results indicated that receiving negative reactions from others predicted higher levels of symptom distress, including PTSD and Depression. However, the relationship between these social reactions and symptom distress was mediated by a survivor's tendency to blame herself for the assault. Although it was predicted that other variables would also predict higher levels of self-blame and psychological distress, including victim's use of alcohol or drugs, having a closer relationship to the perpetrator, and victim's sexist beliefs, findings did not support these hypotheses. Implications for clinical practice, programming, and research are presented.