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Assault Survivors (assault + survivor)
Kinds of Assault Survivors Selected AbstractsRumination in posttraumatic stress disorderDEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 5 2007Tanja Michael Ph.D. Abstract Recent studies have shown that rumination is a powerful predictor of persistent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, to date, the mechanisms by which rumination maintains PTSD symptoms are little understood. Two studies of assault survivors, a cross-sectional (N = 81) and a 6-month prospective longitudinal study (N = 73), examined several facets of ruminative thinking to establish which aspects of rumination provide the link to PTSD. The current investigation showed that rumination is not only used as a strategy to cope with intrusive memories but it also triggers such memories. Certain characteristics of rumination, such as compulsion to continue ruminating, occurrence of unproductive thoughts, and "why" and "what if" type questions, as well as negative emotions before and after rumination, were significantly associated with PTSD, concurrently and prospectively. These characteristics explained significantly more variance in PTSD severity than the mere presence of rumination, thereby indicating that not all ways of ruminative thinking are equally maladaptive. Depression and Anxiety 24:307,317, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] What is an empowerment approach to working with sexual assault survivors?JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Sarah E. Ullman This exploratory study sought to better understand what constitutes the empowerment approach used by rape crisis advocates working with sexual assault survivors. A grounded theory, qualitative, semistructured interview study was conducted of rape victim advocates (N=25) working in rape crisis centers in a large metropolitan area. Several characteristics were described as reflecting an empowerment orientation or approach to work with survivors, some of which were specifically described as a "feminist" empowerment approach. Implications for research and practice are drawn. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Emotional adjustment in survivors of sexual assault living with HIV-AIDSJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 4 2002Seth C. Kalichman Abstract This study examined history of sexual assault in 357 men and women living with HIV-AIDS. Participants completed measures of demographic characteristics, sexual assault history emotional distress and psychiatric symptoms, substance use, and sexual behaviors. Results showed that 68% of women and 35% of men living with HIV-AIDS reported a history of sexual assault since age 15. History of sexual assault was related to history of substance use and mental health treatment. Sexual assault survivors reported greater anxiety, depression, and symptoms of borderline personality and were significantly more likely to report recent unprotected intercourse than persons who had not been sexually assaulted. Results suggest tailoring secondary prevention interventions to meet the needs of HIV-positive survivors of sexual assault. [source] The relationship of sleep quality and posttraumatic stress to potential sleep disorders in sexual assault survivors with nightmares, insomnia, and PTSDJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 4 2001Barry Krakow Abstract Sleep quality and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were examined in 151 sexual assault survivors, 77% of whom had previously reported symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) or sleep movement disorders (SMD) or both. Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Posttraumatic Stress Scale (PSS). High PSQI scores reflected extremely poor sleep quality and correlated with PSS scores. PSQI scores were greater in participants with potential SDB or SMD or both. PSQI or PSS scores coupled with body-mass index and use of antidepressants or anxiolytics predicted potential sleep disorders. The relationship between sleep and posttraumatic stress appears to be more complex than can be explained by the current PTSD paradigm; and, sleep breathing and sleep movement disorders may be associated with this complexity. [source] A controlled study of imagery rehearsal for chronic nightmares in sexual assault survivors with PTSD: A preliminary reportJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 4 2000Barry Krakow Imagery-rehearsal therapy for chronic nightmares was assessed in a randomized, controlled study of sexual assault survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Nightmares, sleep quality, and PTSD were assessed at baseline for 169 women, who were randomized into two groups: treatment (n = 87) and wait-list control (n = 82). Treatment consisted of two 3-hr sessions and one 1-hr session conducted over 5 weeks. Of 169 participants, 91 women (Treatment, n = 43, Control, n = 48) completed a 3-month follow-up and 78 did not. At follow-up, nightmare frequency and PTSD severity decreased and sleep quality improved in the treatment group with small to minimal changes in the control group. Treatment effects were moderate to high (Cohen's d ranged from 0.57 to 1.26). Notwithstanding the large dropout rate, imagery-rehearsal therapy is an effective treatment for chronic nightmares in sexual assault survivors with PTSD and is associated with improvement in sleep quality and decreases in PTSD severity. [source] Struggling to Survive: Sexual Assault, Poverty, and Mental Health Outcomes of African American WomenAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 1 2010Thema Bryant-Davis A substantial body of research documents the mental health consequences of sexual assault including, but not limited to, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, 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, posttraumatic stress disorder, and illicit drug use. There was no significant relationship between poverty and suicidal ideation. Counseling and research implications are discussed. [source] Family Characteristics and Traumatic Consequences Associated with the Duration and Frequency of Sexual AssaultASIAN SOCIAL WORK AND POLICY REVIEW, Issue 1 2009Adi Fahrudin The objective of this study was to analyse the relationship between family characteristics and the trauma associated with the duration and frequency of sexual assault on child survivors in the state of Sabah, Malaysia. Eighty children who reported sexual assault through a one stop crisis centre in an urban hospital were studied. The main research instrument used was adapted from the trauma symptoms checklist for children. The results of the study show that there are significant differences between the symptoms of trauma of victims according to the frequency of sexual assault, but not according to its duration. Social workers need both to understand and to take note of the relationship of the variables of family characteristics, frequency of sexual assault and trauma effects on the victims in their intervention work with child sexual assault survivors who report having been abused. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of providing crisis intervention by social workers in Malaysia for child victims of sexual assault. [source] | |||||||||||||