Exploring the Relationships of Women's Sexual Assault Disclosure, Social Reactions, and Problem Drinking

Abstract

The goal of this exploratory study was to examine correlates of sexual assault disclosure and social reactions in female victims with and without drinking problems. An ethnically diverse sample of sexual assault survivors was recruited from college, community, and mental health agencies. Ethnic minority women were less likely to disclose assault, and women with a greater number of traumatic life events disclosed assault more often. Although there were no differences in disclosure likelihood by drinking status; of those disclosing, problem drinkers told more support sources and received more negative and positive social reactions than nonproblem drinkers. Correlates of receiving negative social reactions were similar for normal and problem drinkers; however, negative social reactions to assault disclosure were related to more problem drinking for women with less frequent social interaction. Implications for future research and possible support interventions with problem-drinking victims are provided. Keywordswomen; sexual assault; disclosure; social reactions; problem drinking Research shows that sexual assault is related to a higher risk of problem drinking in women (Burnam et al., 1988;Kilpatrick, Acierno, Resnick, Saunders, & Best, 1997;Wilsnack, Vogeltanz, Klassen, & Harris, 1997). According to Wekerle and Hall's (2002) literature review, 49% to 75% of women with addiction problems have histories of sexual victimization. Social support appears to be an important resource for women who experience sexual assault as well as for women with drinking problems (Timko, Finney, & Moos, 2005;Ullman, 1999). Social support may help sexual assault victims recover from their assaults (Ullman, 1999) and may be related to fewer drinking problems in general samples of women, although results are mixed (Cooper, Frone, Russell, & Peirce, 1997;Green, Freeborn, & Polen, 2001;Peirce, Frone, Russell, Cooper, & Mudar, 2000;Timko et al., 2005). Unfortunately, little research has explored possible social factors that may improve our understanding of these relationships and provide guidance for developing interventions with problem-drinking female victims.To provide background in these areas of research, we first review past studies on (a) correlates of sexual assault disclosure, (b) correlates of social reactions to assault disclosure, and (c) social support and women's drinking. Given that both problem drinking (Blume, 1991) and sexual assault (Davis, Brickman, & Baker, 1991;Ullman, 1996b) are stigmatized in women (Imhof, 1996), it is important to understand how these problems interrelate to provide better treatment and intervention for victims depending on their drinking histories. Therefore, after reviewing past research, we discuss how these areas may be brought together and present results from an exploratory study of the relationships of disclosure, social support, and drinking in a large sample of female victims. NIH Public Access Correlates of Sexual Assault DisclosureAlthough most research has focused on correlates o...

To Whom Do College Women Confide Following Sexual Assault? A Prospective Study of Predictors of Sexual Assault Disclosure and Social Reactions

“…In fact, no women in the current study reported an experience of sexual victimization to the police. These rates of disclosure to a formal provider are much lower than those documented in a recent community-based study, wherein 38.4% of women told parents, 44.9% of women told a mental health professional, and less than 30% told other formal providers (Ullman et al, 2008). It is likely that college women who fear that the police will respond in a negative way to disclosure (Fisher et al, 2000) are hesitant to discuss sexual victimization to the police.…”

Sexual Assault on College Campuses: Substance Use, Victim Status Awareness, and Barriers to Reporting

“…Victims of stranger-rape and those who sustained physical injuries reported incidents at a higher rate (Ullman et al, 2008), possibly due to an expectation that their report would be believed and handled appropriately (Follingstad & Rogers, 2013;Wolitzky-Taylor et al, 2011). Threats from the accused, along with a growing realization of the toll it would take to follow through with an investigation, are precursors to victims recanting their accusations (Adefolalu, 2014;Sinozich & Langton).…”

“…Unacknowledged victims often do not realize that a crime has been committed (Belknap, 2010;Cleere & Lynn, 2013;Lewis-Arévalo & Seto, 2014); frequently know their attacker (Edwards et al, 2015); and are unlikely to report the event to police or campus authorities (Orchowski & Gidycz, 2012;Ullman et al, 2008). Furthermore, by not disclosing their experience, unacknowledged victims potentially miss out on timely support services to aid their recovery and future wellbeing, such as counseling, information about their rights, and medical care, including the collection of a rape kit (Orchowski & Gidycz, 2012;Sinozich & Langton, 2014;Wolitzky-Taylor et al, 2011).…”

Effects of social support on the association between precollege sexual assault and college-onset victimization

“…To that end, social support has been associated with SA and SA revictimization 26,27 , as well as with risk for psychopathology post-trauma 28–30 . For instance, poor social support following SA has been associated with increased self-blame 31 , lack of interpersonal assertiveness 32,33 , and use of substances to cope 34 , which may in turn increase the likelihood of experiencing a repeated assault 33,35 . Although associations between correlates of social support (e.g., self-blame, lack of assertiveness) and SA revictimization have been identified (e.g., 31,33,36 ), these studies were cross-sectional and mediation cannot be inferred.…”