NCJ Number
234813
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 17 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2011 Pages: 603-618
Date Published
May 2011
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study examined collected information on the levels of success and satisfaction that sexual crime victims had with the legal system.
Abstract
Information regarding psychological distress, perceived levels of temporal control, and legal system success and satisfaction ratings were collected from 41 survivors of sexual assault. Results suggest that self-blame and offender blame may differentially impact posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptom severity. In addition, participants who perceived a greater risk of future assault reported higher levels of depressive and PTSD symptoms. Furthermore, perceptions of present control over the recovery process were related to lower levels of psychological distress. For those who reported the assault to police, lower levels of legal system success and satisfaction were linked to higher levels of perceived control over present recovery. (Published Abstract)