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A Brief Self-Compassion Intervention For Survivors Of Sexual Trauma With Psychological Distress, Natalie Marie Hogue
A Brief Self-Compassion Intervention For Survivors Of Sexual Trauma With Psychological Distress, Natalie Marie Hogue
Dissertations
Individuals who have experienced sexual trauma are at an increased risk of psychological disorders and psychological distress (Dworkin, 2020; Dworkin et al., 2017; Dworkin & Schumacher, 2018). Sexual trauma has one of the highest conditional risks for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (Domino et al., 2020; Perrin et al., 2014). Experiential avoidance, shame, and posttraumatic cognitions are associated with psychological distress after experiencing sexual trauma (Bhuptani et al., 2019; Domino et al., 2020; Foa et al., 1999; Merwin et al., 2009). Established research suggests that self-compassion-based therapies can be effective in reducing psychological distress and treating a wide range …
Mindfulness And Technology: Evaluating An Online Mindfulness Intervention For Symptoms Related To Sexual Assault, Erica Catherine Johnson
Mindfulness And Technology: Evaluating An Online Mindfulness Intervention For Symptoms Related To Sexual Assault, Erica Catherine Johnson
Dissertations
Sexual assault has been found to increase the risk of distressing psychological symptoms including PTSD, depression, somatization, drug and substance use, lower quality of life and experiential avoidance. As such, interventions for reducing the distress and negative impacts of sexual assault are of importance. Mindfulness is of particular interest as it addresses one of the prominent factors known to maintain psychological distress after trauma, experiential avoidance (Polusny et al., 2004; Merwin et al., 2009). Furthermore, an online mindfulness-based intervention can increase the accessibility and reduce the barriers to treatment. A within subjects repeated measures open clinical trial design was used …
Sexual Coercion: The Role Of Communication And Heteronormative Beliefs, Brianna Lindley Forbis
Sexual Coercion: The Role Of Communication And Heteronormative Beliefs, Brianna Lindley Forbis
Dissertations
Sexual assault is a pervasive issue on college campuses, with large numbers of students experiencing sexual assault during their college careers (Fisher, Cullen, & Turner, 2000). Sexual assault is often perpetrated by a known offender, which has brought increased attention to forms of sexual assault that do not necessarily include violence or the direct threat of violence. Sexual coercion is one such construct that has received increased attention in the literature, with several studies finding associations between heteronormative beliefs and sexual coercion (Eaton & Matamala 2014; Haworth- Hoeppner, 1998; Vanwesenbeek, 1998). Aims of the current study included further exploring the …
Same-Sex Sexual Coercion Among Women: The Impact Of Minority Stress On Perpetration And Victimization Experiences Of Women Of Diverse Sexual Identities, Allison Kirschbaum
Same-Sex Sexual Coercion Among Women: The Impact Of Minority Stress On Perpetration And Victimization Experiences Of Women Of Diverse Sexual Identities, Allison Kirschbaum
Dissertations
The purpose of the current study was to investigate women’s experiences with same-sex sexual coercion perpetration and victimization. Specifically, I sought to explore the role that the stress of living as a sexual minority plays in these experiences as well as to determine whether the psychological variables of perceived powerlessness, psychological distress, social support, and alcohol use mediate the relationship between minority stress and perpetration and victimization experiences. Data were collected online from self-identified women and individuals assigned female at birth who reported experiencing genital sexual contact with another woman (N=339). Of the cisgender women in the sample, 31.6% reported …
Psychological Correlates Of Diverse Coerced Sexual Experiences: Clarifying Classes And Severity Continuums Of Sexual Act And Coercive Tactic, Sara Kern
Dissertations
Although different coerced sexual experiences have been associated with different psychological symptoms (e.g., Davis et al., 2014), many limitations have plagued previous classification systems and severity continuums of coerced sexual experiences. The present study aimed to uncover meaningful differences across classes of coerced sexual experiences for the dimensions of sexual act and coercive tactic to inform future classification systems and severity continuums. Participants with a history of coerced sexual experiences (N = 402) completed an online survey about their worst or only coerced sexual experience, identifying the worst (or only) sexual act and the worst (or only) coercive tactic that …
Evaluating Sexual Assault Prevention Training Programs For College Women, Eliza S. Mcmanus
Evaluating Sexual Assault Prevention Training Programs For College Women, Eliza S. Mcmanus
Dissertations
Sexual victimization is a frequent and concerning problem for college women. It is estimated that college women are three times more likely to experience sexual assault than women in the general population. Additionally, women with a history of unwanted sexual experiences are at greater risk for future sexual victimization than women without such histories. For these reasons, the examination of college-based sexual assault prevention programs is important given the high rates of unwanted sexual experiences and subsequent negative mental health consequences. Furthermore, the lack of effective skills-based sexual assault prevention programs on college campuses is an important issue to address. …
Decision-Making Following Sexual Assault: Reporting Decisions And Exposure To The Criminal Justice System, Ryan Michael Walsh
Decision-Making Following Sexual Assault: Reporting Decisions And Exposure To The Criminal Justice System, Ryan Michael Walsh
Dissertations
Violent crimes represent significant costs to society and survivors; costs which include mental health conditions which may emerge afterward. Victims of sexual assault are at particularly heightened risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Breslau, Davis, Andreski, & Peterson, 1991). Although Crime Victims’ Compensation (CVC) is available to assist with healthcare costs for some individuals who report the event to police (NACVCB, 2009), many crimes are not reported. Theories of crime-reporting behavior suggest that victims decide whether to report crimes to police through the use of a “cost-benefit analysis” (Gottfredson & Gottfredson, 1988, p. 25). Little research, however, has been …
Emotional Response Patterns And Emotional Numbing In Adult Female Victims Of Sexual Assault With Ptsd, Tristan A. Robinson
Emotional Response Patterns And Emotional Numbing In Adult Female Victims Of Sexual Assault With Ptsd, Tristan A. Robinson
Dissertations
DSM symptoms of emotional numbing appear to have a major impact on the course and outcome of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), yet the construct definition of emotional numbing itself has not been clearly established. Two opposing conceptualizations of this construct have been proposed in the traumatic stress literature. One holds numbing to be a form of non-effortful emotional avoidance, akin to dissociation, that results in diminished responsiveness to emotional stimuli in general (Foa, Zinbarg, & Rothbaum, 1992; Foa & Hearst-Ikeda, 1996). The other suggests that numbing entails a deficit in responsiveness to positive emotional stimuli but not to negative emotional …