Community services for rape survivors: enhancing psychological well-being or increasing trauma?

This research examined how contact with the legal, medical, and mental health systems affects rape survivors' psychological well-being. Although community services may be beneficial for some victims, there is increasing evidence that they can add trauma, rather than alleviate distress (termed secondary victimization). This study examined how secondary victimization affects rape survivors' posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms. Adaptive and snowball sampling were used to recruit a sample of 102 rape survivors. Victims of nonstranger rape who received minimal assistance from either the legal or medical system, and encountered victim-blaming behaviors from system personnel, had significantly elevated levels of PTS. This high-risk group of rape survivors had PTS levels significantly higher than all other victims in this study, including those who did not seek community assistance postrape. However, for these high-risk rape survivors, receiving sustained mental health services after these negative experiences was associated with a significant decrease in PTS
Author: 
Campbell,R.
Sefl,T.
Barnes,H.E.
Ahrens,C.E.
Wasco,S.M.
Zaragoza-Diesfeld,Y.
Notes: 
DA
Reprint Status: 
IN FILE
Start Page: 
847
End Page: 
858
Journal/Periodical Name: 
Journal of Consulting Clinical Psychology
Volume: 
67
Issue: 
6
Abstract: 
Despite the availability of community services geared toward addressing the aftermath of a sexual assault, many survivors feel as if the experience of seeking assistance from legal, medical, and mental health systems only extends the trauma (i.e., secondary victimization). This study examined the relationship between such secondary victimization and post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms among 102 female rape survivors. Analyses concerning social system contact and rape survivor's psychological well-being revealed that the group most at risk for high PTSD levels postrape were survivors of nonstranger rape who had received minimal assistance from the legal or medical system and had experienced victim-blaming behaviors from system personnel. Although this group had the highest PTSD levels of all survivors in the study, they did show a decrease in their PTSD levels after obtaining continued assistance from the mental health system.
Topic Areas: 
Effects; secondary victimization; victim services
Reference Type: 
JOUR
Reference ID: 
2438
Publication Date: 
1999/12