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This study examines the nature of perceived needs of women victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) and their association with social demographic characteristics and self-reported mental health symptoms. The study uses data from case records of women victims of IPV (n = 154) seeking help from a victim assistance program housed within city police station located in the southwest, United States. The majority of the women in this study reported needs related to counseling, protection orders, Crime Victims' Compensation Rights, legal services, and Temporary Aid for Needy Families. Findings also indicate that perceived needs of women were significantly associated with self-reported mental health symptoms. Some needs had a stronger relationship to women's mental health symptoms than others. Overall these findings suggest that it is imperative to emphasize responses that can address all the needs of women (in addition to stopping IPV) to reduce mental health symptoms.

The Sexual Experiences Survey (SES), the most widely used measure of unwanted sexual experiences, was recently updated (Koss et al., 2007). The purpose of this study was to provide psychometric data on the updated Sexual Experiences Survey–Short Form Perpetration (SES-SFP) and the Sexual Experiences Survey–Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV). Men (n = 136) and women (n = 433) were randomly assigned to in-person or Internet formats of administration for 3 measurement points. Women completed victimization surveys and trauma measures. Men completed perpetration surveys and attitude/personality measures. Results supported the validity and reliability of both the SES-SFV with women and the SES-SFP with men. Further research is needed regarding the use of the SES-SFV with men and the SES-SFP with women.

Despite high rates of sexual assault among college women, most victims do not label the experience as sexual assault or rape. Prior research examining labeling of sexual victimization has focused on women’s characterization of rape experiences as either not victimization or victimization. This study extends prior research by exploring factors associated with labeling various forms of sexual victimization as “not victimization,” a “serious miscommunication,” or a “sexual assault, date rape, rape, or crime.” A sample of 1,060 college women reported on their experiences of sexual victimization since the age of 14 years. Women who reported experiences of prior sexual victimization (n = 371) indicated their level of acquaintance with the assailant, assault disclosure, substance use at time of assault, attributions of self- and perpetrator-blame for the assault, and labeling of the experience. Most women who reported experiences of sexual victimization did not self-identify as victims, and 38% labeled sexual victimization as a serious miscommunication. Greater acquaintance with the perpetrator, higher behavioral self-blame, and victim substance use at the time of the assault were associated with labeling sexual assault experiences as a serious miscommunication. Implications are discussed.

The researchers assessed the predictors of victim–perpetrator relationship stability following a sexual assault. Participants included 254 women sexually assaulted by a friend, casual dating partner, or steady dating partner. Results suggested that most victim–perpetrator relationships (75%) continued following the sexual assault. Greater trauma symptomatology, less perpetrator blame, and nondisclosure of the assault by victims predicted relationship continuation with the perpetrator. Additionally, the odds of continuing the relationship were greater following acts of sexual coercion than following acts of completed rape. Close relationships (steady dating partner) were more likely to continue following the sexual assault than less close relationships (friends and casual dating partners). Unexpectedly, the odds of relationship stability were greater for women without histories of childhood sexual abuse than women with histories of childhood sexual abuse. Implications for future research and intervention are discussed.

College students’ responses to a hypothetical sexual assault scenario involving alcohol use by the victim and/or perpetrator were examined (N = 295). Participants reported on victim/perpetrator responsibility, the extent to which the scenario would be considered rape, and their likelihood of providing positive or negative responses to the victim. Compared to women, men indicated that they would provide more negative and less positive social reactions to the victim, were less likely to identify the scenario as rape, and endorsed less perpetrator responsibility. When the victim was drinking, participants endorsed greater victim responsibility and lower perpetrator responsibility for the assault. Participants indicated that they would provide the victim with less emotional support when only the perpetrator was drinking, compared to when both the individuals were drinking.

Several multivariate studies have attempted to delineate the major predictors of longterm, sexual assault-induced aftereffects. The present study was an attempt to extend previous work by supplementing known preassault, assault, and postassault predictors of trauma with cognitive measures. The data were cross-sectional and included responses from 1,213 victims of sexual assault who were recruited from a national sample of higher education students. Utilizing hierarchical multiple regression analyses and a cross-validation procedure, the results suggested that the prior mental status of the victims, the forcefulness of the assaults, as well as two cognitive variables related to a victim’s beliefs about sex and relationships predicted victims’ scores on standardized measures of anxiety and depression. The relationships were such that the most traumatized victims were those women who had evidenced a history of mental health problems, who had experienced the more aggressive assaults, who tended to believe that people in relationships are not trustworthy, and tended to place conservative restrictions on the sexual acts and circumstances under which sex should occur. Taken together these variables accounted for between 9%-14% of the variance in sexual assault aftereffects. The discussion emphasizes the contribution of cognitive processes to the understanding of sexual assault trauma.

Standardized measures of depression, anxiety, and behavioral deviancy were administered to a nonclinical sample of 67 high school girls (M age = 16.3; SD = 1.28). In addition, an adolescent version of the Sexual Experiences Survey was administered to assess the history of peer sexual victimization. In this sample, 55.0% of the girls had experienced at least one sexual victimization, including 7.5% of them who had experienced completed forcible rape. Data were analyzed via multivariate analysis of variance and multiple regression. Sexually victimized girls scored significantly higher than nonvictimized girls on the Trait Anxiety Index and the Beck Depression Inventory, but not on the Antisocial Index of the Jesness Inventory. The extent of victimization contributed significantly to the prediction of both the depression score and the anxiety score. The clinical significance of the reported symptoms is discussed. Although the study was not based on a probability sample, the prevalence of rape was consistent with existing literature. Because the sample was limited to girls who have remained involved in social systems, the measured symptoms probably are a conservative estimate of retrospectively measured postassault standardized test scores among sexually victimized adolescents. VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research by Gidyez and Koss was to examine the affect of adolescent sexual victimization on the victims scores on standardized measures of anxiety, depression, and behavioral deviancy. METHODOLOGY: A quasi-experimental cross-sectional design was utilized to gather data from a convenience sample of 67 adolescent girls residing in Ohio. Parental permission was obtained for all members of the final sample. The sample had a consent rate of 25%. The authors measured sexual victimization using a self-report instrument which was a modified version of the Sexual Experiences Survey. This survey has an internal consistency reliability of .74. Its test-retest stability was measured as .93. If a girl responded yes to any item in the survey she was considered sexually victimized. victimizations were completed forcible rape. Levels of sexual victimization were operationally defined as the highest question on the survey. This was done to define a continuum of sexual victimization. The authors measured anxiety, depression, and behavioral deviancy as the possible after effects of adolescent sexual assault. Anxiety was measured using the Trait Anxiety Scale. Trait anxiety was defined as relatively stable individual differences in anxiety proneness. Depression was measured using the Beck Depression Inventory. The Asocial Index of the Jesness Inventory was used to measure behavioral deviancy. The victim and non-victim results were analyzed using one-way multivariate analysis of variance to see if there were significant differences. The relationship between demographic variables and anxiety and depression scores was examined to reveal predictive factors. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: Fifty-five percent of the girls reported at least one sexual victimization. Seven point five percent of the girls' victimization were completed forcible rape. The overall value of the MANOVA test was significant. The authors found significant differences between the victimized and non-victimized groups on the Trait Anxiety Scale and on the Beck Depression Inventory using subsequent univariate analysis of variance. On the beck Depression Inventory 6.7% of non-victims fell in the moderate range of depression and none of the non-victims scored in the severe range. Twenty-seven percent of the victims scored in the moderate range and 10.8% of the victims fell in the severe range of depression. Significantly more victims than non-victims had contemplated suicide to the point of considering a plan for their suicide. Victims experienced more symptoms of anxiety than non-victimized girls. Sexually victimized girls experience higher levels of symptoms of depression than non-victimized girls. Demographic variables found to be predictive were, age, presence of a stepfather, family income, divorced parents, therapy experience, ethnicity, and victimization level. Subjects that were nonwhite and were more severely victimized had higher Beck Depression Inventory scores than the other subjects in the sample. AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS: The authors suggested that sexual victimization be considered by counselors as a possible contributing factor in the emotional disturbance of adolescents. Further research, the author noted, could examine the quality of an adolescent's family relationships, the violence of the assault, the victim's mental health status before the incident, supportive network availability, and the victim's appraisal of the victimization experience. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado) KW - Ohio KW - Juvenile Female KW - Juvenile Victim KW - Female Victim KW - Sexual Assault Effects KW - Sexual Assault Victim KW - Juvenile Anxiety KW - Juvenile Depression KW - Victim Anxiety KW - Victim Depression KW - Depression Causes KW - Anxiety Causes KW - Psychological Victimization Effects KW - Juvenile Deviance KW - Deviance Causes KW - Violence Against Women Language: en