LONG TERM AFTER-EFFECTS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT (CRISIS COUNSELING, RAPE, POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER)

The appearance of rape crisis counseling centers and social consciousness of the problems of sexual assault victims occurred concurrent to the rise of the feminist movement. The primary model for intervention in rape centers has been one of crisis counseling. An increasing body of literature indicates that short-term counseling may be inadequate in meeting the needs of some rape victims. This study was an inquiry into the types and patterns of long-term adjustment difficulties experienced by rape survivors. An extensive questionnaire covering current physical, psychological and social functioning was given to 74 rape survivors who were between six and 120 months post assault and to a control group matched on demographic variables. The rape survivors also responded to questions about their assault, their experiences with the legal system, and contact with community agencies post assault. On five of the eight factors which emerged from a factor analysis of current symptoms, there were significant differences between the rape survivors and the control subjects, with the survivors generally reporting higher levels of problems. A separate factor analysis of only the rape survivor data yielded five factors. Individual subject scores on each factor were used in multiple regression analyses to study the predictive values of assault variables (acquaintanceship, weapon, injury), of community response to the rape survivor, and of the level and quality of legal involvement the woman experienced as a result of the assault. Significant predictive relationships were found between the number of agencies consulted and reports of continued sleep disturbances and self-aggression and between recall or dreams of the assault and pending court action. Assault variables were not found to be significantly predictive of symptoms. The results of the study are discussed in terms of learned helplessness and of vulnerability to stress as a result of the traumatic rape experience. The phenomenology of the experience is illustrated through quotations from survivors\u27 responses to open-ended questions about their long term adjustment