PTSD and problem drinking in relation to seeking mental health and substance use treatment among sexual assault survivors.

Abstract

This study seeks to understand the effects of the co-occurrence of PTSD and problem drinking on formal help-seeking among sexual assault survivors over time. Data comes from a diverse sample of 1,863 women in a large Midwestern city who participated in a three-year study on women's experiences with sexual assault. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) were used to estimate the parameters of generalized linear models to assess the effects of PTSD and problem drinking on survivor mental health help-seeking and substance use treatment-seeking over time. In our models, having more PTSD, more education, and receiving a reaction of tangible support increased the odds of survivors seeking mental health treatment, which replicates past findings. This is the first study of women sexual assault survivors to find a unique effect of both PTSD and problem drinking on substance use treatment- seeking. The findings suggest survivors with co-occurring PTSD and problem drinking are less likely to seek substance use treatment over time. Future directions are discussed for research on survivors with co-occurring symptoms.

African American Sexual Assault Survivors and Mental Health Help-Seeking: A Mixed Methods Study

“…Furthermore, findings reveal that like many survivors, African American survivors respond to encouragement from informal support sources to seek help. In our study, when survivors were supported, provided tangible aid, or encouraged by informal supporters to seek mental health care, they were more apt to do so, as in previous research (Kirkner et al, 2018). This suggests the importance and value of positive informal support, including a need for interventions targeting informal support.…”

“…Postassault factors may also play a role as PTSD symptoms, tangible aid, telling more informal sources (e.g., family, friends, and romantic partners), and depression were also related to greater mental health help-seeking (Starzynski et al, 2007). Furthermore, other research shows that survivors receiving tangible support (odds ratio [OR] = 1.64) from informal sources had increased odds of seeking mental health treatment (Kirkner et al, 2018).…”

“…Specifically, Sexually Assaulted women seek mental health services less than White women, who are twice as likely to seek such help as minority women (Amstadter et al, 2008;Flicker et al, 2011;Starzynski et al, 2007;Weist et al, 2014). A study of a large sample of Sexually Assaulted women found that being White (OR = 2.04) increased the odds of survivors seeking mental health treatment (Kirkner et al, 2018). Sexually Assaulted survivors were also less likely to seek help from mental health services and rape crisis centers, including SA hotlines, in a regional convenience sample (Weist et al, 2014).…”

Usability Testing of a Mobile Health Intervention to Address Acute Care Needs after Sexual Assault

“…Despite the availability of evidence-based treatment for common symptoms after sexual assault, 60% to 72% of individuals who receive a SAMFE do not receive recommended follow-up mental and medical health services [9,10,11]. Further, the overwhelming majority of male and female adult sexual assault survivors deny ever receiving mental health services related to their experience of sexual assault [12,13]. Common systemic and logistical barriers to receiving healthcare by the general population are also experienced by those who have received a SAMFE, including lack of child care, transportation difficulties, and limited access to services [6].…”

A Latent Class Analysis of Mental Health Beliefs Related to Military Sexual Trauma

“…Despite a disproportionately high risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following sexual assault relative to other traumatic events (Kilpatrick et al., 2013), only 29%–37% of sexually assaulted men and women ever receive mental health services (Kirkner et al., 2018; Light & Monk‐Turner, 2009). In addition to logistical issues, such as transportation, and attitudinal barriers to treatment, such as a belief that treatment will not work (Andrade et al., 2014), there are also unique negative beliefs related to sexual trauma.…”