Impact of Child Sexual Abuse and Stigma on Methods of Coping With Sexual Assault Among Undergraduate Women

• NCJ Number: 205252
• Journal: Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 25 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2001 Pages: 1343-1361
• Author(s): Laura E. Gibson; Harold Leitenberg
• Date Published: October 2001
• Length: 19 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

After determining whether women who had been recently sexually assaulted varied in their use of disengagement methods of coping depending on whether they had a prior history of childhood sexual abuse, this study examined whether, if this were so, the difference in coping methods was still evident after controlling for symptoms of general psychological distress and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Abstract

The study then determined whether differences in methods of coping between the sexually assaulted groups with and without a history of childhood sexual abuse can be explained by differences in some of the traumagenic dynamics and changed world assumptions first described by Finkelhor and Browne (1985) and Janoff-Bulman (1989). A total of 1,050 women undergraduates attending a New England State university completed a survey for research credit. Participants were asked detailed questions about any experiences of sexual assault within the past year, histories of child and/or adolescent sexual abuse, traumagenic dynamics, and world assumptions. Analyses were based on 106 participants who had experienced a sexual assault within the past year. The study found that the women who had been sexually assaulted and also had a history of childhood sexual abuse used more disengagement methods of coping with the adult sexual assault than women without a childhood history of sexual abuse. In addition, the link between prior sexual abuse and the use of disengagement coping strategies was mediated by feelings of stigma, but not by feelings of betrayal and powerlessness or beliefs in the meaningfulness and benevolence of the world. These findings suggest that clinicians who treat individuals with histories of repeated sexual victimization should be attuned to the use of avoidance strategies of coping as well as the presence of high levels of shame in their clients. It may be useful to provide information about the consequences of relying primarily on emotional and behavioral avoidance strategies. 2 tables, 1 figure, and 59 references