The Focality of Sexual Trauma and Its Effects on Women’s Symptoms and Self-Perceptions

Abstract

Sexual trauma is associated with particularly harmful consequences in comparison to other types of trauma. Studies investigating differences between trauma-types usually focus on the most distressing (i.e., main) trauma of each participant and do not consider the cumulative effects of multiple traumas, which many individuals experience. We sought to fill this gap by examining the effects of trauma-type (sexual vs. nonsexual), as well as the focality assigned to the sexual trauma (whether it was perceived as a main vs. background trauma), on symptoms and self-perceptions. Our sample comprised 231 Jewish-Israeli women: 96 with a single trauma-type and 135 with multiple (two to three) trauma-types. Women completed online measures of trauma history, symptoms, and self-perceptions. Women who were exposed to sexual trauma reported greater symptom severity and self-perception impairments than women with a history of nonsexual trauma-type(s). Among women with multiple trauma-types, those with a main sexual trauma reported greater symptom severity and self-perception impairments than women with a background sexual trauma. When controlling for levels of posttraumatic symptoms, differences in self-perceptions ceased to be significant. Our findings highlight the importance of collecting a detailed trauma history, with attention to trauma-centrality, and of addressing various symptoms and self-perceptions among sexual trauma survivors.

Evaluating the association between interpersonal trauma and self-identity: A systematic review.

“…In addition, Keshet and Gilboa-Schechtman (2017); a study of high quality (83.3%), found younger age at the time of trauma (e.g., sexual assault) to be significantly associated with greater self-identity disturbance based on a female sample from the general population. Another high quality study (83.3%) by Keshet and Gilboa-Schechtman (2019) reported sexual trauma exposure to be significantly related to greater severity of self-perception impairments and posttraumatic and depressive symptoms compared to other nonsexual trauma exposure in a sample recruited from the general population.…”

“…Approximately half of the studies (53%) comprised an all-female sample, with the remaining studies being an all-male sample (Ray, 1997) or a mixed sample ranging from 27% to 90% female participants. The age range across studies varied from 5 to 91 years, with over half the studies being predominantly derived from a child and/or adolescent sample (for example, 5–19 years; N = 30, 51%; Allen & Tarnowski, 1989; Deb & Mukherjee, 2009; Deb et al, 2016; Esparza & Esperat, 1996; German et al, 1990; Kinard, 1980; Mannarino et al, 1994, 1989, 1991; Mennen, 1994; Mernen & Meadow, 1994; Milan & Pinderhughes, 2000; Mota & Matos, 2015; Oates et al, 1985; Oates et al, 1994; Orr & Downes, 1985; Reyes, 2008; Reyes et al, 1996; Riesen & Porath, 2004; Rogosch & Cicchetti, 2005; Runyon et al, 2009; Rust & Troupe, 1991; Silva & Calheiros, 2020; Simmons & Weinman, 1991; Solomon & Serres, 1999; Stern et al, 1995; Stovall & Craig, 1990; Tong et al, 1987; Trickett et al, 2001; Wonderlich et al, 2001); followed by adult samples (for example, 17–91 years; N = 27, 46%; Alexander & Lupfer, 1987; Brayden et al, 1995; Briere & Rickards, 2007; Classen et al, 1998; Clifford et al, 2020a,’ 2020b; Dimmitt, 1995a,’ 1995b; Hoagwood, 1990; Kandeğer & Naziroğlu, 2021; Keshet & Gilboa-Schechtman, 2017, 2019; Krause & Roth, 2011; Lopez & Heffer, 1998; Makhubela, 2012; McAlpine & Shanks, 2010; Murthi et al, 2006; Nixon & Nishith, 2005; Overstreet et al, 2017; Ponce et al, 2004; Ray, 1997; Steinberg et al, 2003; Thompson-Hollands et al, 2017; Van Buren & Weierich, 2015; Vartanian et al, 2016; 2018; Whealin & Jackson, 2002), and two studies (3%) were mixed pediatric/adult age samples (Alboebadi et al, 2015; Oates et al, 1998).…”

“…Nine studies used a broader assessment tool (e.g., personality inventory) that included a self-identity and/or self-concept subscale (Briere & Rickards, 2007; Esparza & Esperat, 1996; Kandeğer & Naziroğlu, 2021; Keshet & Gilboa-Schechtman, 2017; Nixon & Nishith, 2005; Ray, 1997; Runyon et al, 2009; Thompson-Hollands et al, 2017; Van Buren & Weierich, 2015). Ten further studies assessed self-concept clarity (Keshet & Gilboa-Schechtman, 2017, 2019; Vartanian et al, 2016; 2018); gender self-identity through feminine self-discrepancies (Krause & Roth, 2011); retrospective and current self-concept (Hoagwood, 1990); the emotional and social aspects of self-identity (Mota & Matos, 2015); the relationships between body and nonbody aspects of the self-concept (Whealin & Jackson, 2002); schemas of the “self” and “other” (Ponce et al, 2004); and the perception of self in the context of others (Rogosch & Cicchetti, 2005) The remaining five studies assessed identity by a self-concept card sorting task (Clifford et al, 2020b; McAlpine & Shanks, 2010; Steinberg et al, 2003), through an idiographic approach (Classen et al, 1998), and with Roger’s standard self-concept questionnaire (Alboebadi et al, 2015).…”

Relaciones del maltrato en la infancia con el trastorno depresivo mayor, el trastorno de estrés postraumático y el trastorno de estrés postraumático complejo en la vida adulta

“…Berntsen y Rubin (2006), en un estudio realizado sobre estudiantes norteamericanos hallaron correlaciones significativas positivas entre los constructos, de manera que una mayor Centralidad de los Eventos Traumáticos se asociaría a una mayor cantidad de síntomas de TEPT y TDM. Diversos estudios reforzaron estas conclusiones (Allbaugh et al, 2016;Berntsen & Rubin, 2007a;Boals & Ruggero, 2016;Fitzgerald et al, 2016;Keshet & Gilboa-schechtman, 2019;Ogle et al, 2014b;Reiland, 2017). Sin embargo, un estudio realizado recientemente arroja resultados contradictorios a la mayoría de los estudios indicando que la Centralidad de los Eventos Traumáticos no se relacionaría a síntomas de TEPT en una muestra de individuos que sufrieron MI (Tranter et al, 2020).…”

“…Es el caso de una investigación realizada sobre mujeres que sufrieron Abuso Sexual en la infancia en el que se obtuvieron correlaciones positivas significativas con la Centralidad de los Eventos Traumáticos y el TEPT (Robinaugh & McNally, 2011). Asimismo, otro estudio reciente, realizado sobre mujeres israelíes judías, indica que el Abuso Sexual se configuraría como central en la memoria autobiográfica de la mujer, modificando su autopercepción y relacionándose con el desarrollo de síntomas de TEPT (Keshet & Gilboa-schechtman, 2019). En esta misma línea, un estudio de publicación reciente se propuso evaluar las relaciones entre el MI de tipo emocional, la Centralidad de los Eventos Traumáticos y las rumiaciones negativas en el desarrollo de síntomas de TEPT, obteniendo como resultado que el MI de tipo emocional influiría de forma indirecta en el desarrollo de los síntomas de TEPT por la vía de la centralidad de los eventos y las rumiaciones negativas (Watts et al, 2020).…”