Struggling to survive: Sexual assault, poverty, and mental health outcomes of African American women.

Abstract

A substantial body of research documents the mental health consequences of sexual assault including, but not limited to, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use, and suicidality. Far less attention has been given to the mental health effects of sexual assault for ethnic minority women or women living in poverty. Given African American women’s increased risk for sexual assault and increased risk for persistent poverty, the current study explores the relationship between income and mental health effects within a sample of 413 African American sexual assault survivors. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that after controlling for childhood sexual abuse there were positive relationships between poverty and mental health outcomes of depression, PTSD, and illicit drug use. There was no significant relationship between poverty and suicidal ideation. Counseling and research implications are discussed.

Sexual Violence Victimization and Associations with Health in a Community Sample of African American Women

“…Moderate to high rates of SV (e.g., 22%–100%) are reported in various samples of predominantly African American women, including substance abuse treatment recipients (Young & Boyd, 2000), low-income samples (Boyd, Henderson, Ross-Durow, & Aspen, 1997; Bryant-Davis et al, 2010; Dailey, Humphreys, Rankin, & Lee, 2011; Kalichman, Williams, Cherry, Belcher, & Nachimson, 1998), and military veterans (Campbell, Greeson, Bybee, & Raja, 2008). …”

“…In a U.S. national sample, a history of SV has been found to be associated with anxiety disorders, mood disorders, PTSD, SUDs, and suicide attempts (Iverson et al, 2013). Studies focusing on the mental and behavioral health of African American female SV survivors in particular are limited, and the studies that exist usually rely on urban, low socioeconomic status (SES), or drug-abusing samples (Boyd et al, 1997; Bryant-Davis, Chung, & Tillman, 2009; Bryant-Davis et al, 2010; Campbell et al, 2008; Vaszari, Bradford, CallahanO'Leary, Ben Abdallah, & Cottler, 2011). For example, in a community sample of low-income, ethnically diverse women ( N = 835), Temple and colleagues (2007) found that sexual assault by current partners and nonpartners was a significant predictor of PTSD symptoms for African American women.…”

“…Although a concern for all survivors, adverse mental health and substance use problems could be particularly problematic for African American women SV survivors due to their risk for multiple, overlapping public health problems and conditions (Bryant-Davis et al, 2010). For example, Bryant-Davis and colleagues (2010) explored the relationship between poverty and mental health outcomes in an urban community sample of African American female SV survivors ( N = 413).…”

“…For example, Bryant-Davis and colleagues (2010) explored the relationship between poverty and mental health outcomes in an urban community sample of African American female SV survivors ( N = 413). Positive relationships were found between poverty and depression, PTSD, and illicit drug use in the sample.…”

“…Although sexual violence (SV) occurs across all ethnic and racial groups, research has increasingly pointed to the prevalence and adverse health outcomes of SV among specific groups, such as African American women and other ethnic and racial minorities (Black et al, 2011; Bryant-Davis, Ullman, Tsong, Tillman, & Smith, 2010; Lacey, McPherson, Samuel, Sears, & Head, 2013; Young & Boyd, 2000). Due to the limited number of studies and the complex nature and consequences of SV victimization for African American women, further research is needed.…”