The difficulties of psychologcal adjustment for female rape victims: a literature review

In this literature review we explore the various factors that can affect how well college-aged female rape victims adjust psychologically following a rape incident. Such factors include the following: how a victim cognitively labels the incident (i.e., as rape or something else); society\u27s reaction to the victim\u27s story, and subsequent identification of the victim as stigmatized or not; the prevalence of rape myths that impact stigmatization; and the presence of a support system in the form of friends who are willing to listen receptively to the victim. These factors together affect how well a victim is able to adjust psychologically following the rape. Given the literature\u27s reliance on small samples of rape victims, scholars in their future research should broaden the age, gender, and cultural diversity of subjects in research on rape victims. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed as well