NCJ Number
168317
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: (1997) Pages: 1-19
Date Published
1997
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study examined how sexual assault history and attributions of blame were related to measures of recovery from and cognitive adaptation to trauma.
Abstract
This study was a convenience sample of 155 sexual assault victims who completed a mail survey. Attributions of blame were related to assumptions about self and world, but were unrelated to self-rated recovery. Women sexually victimized in both childhood and adulthood had lower self-worth and were more likely to make external attributions of blame. Increased self-blame was related to poorer recovery for women assaulted in both life phases. Self-blame was related to less searching for meaning in one's victimization and greater meaningfulness of the world, but was unrelated to measures of adjustment in the multivariate analyses. Women sexually victimized in both childhood and adulthood reported more psychological symptoms in response to assault and poorer self-rated recovery; higher levels of self-blame had a more detrimental effect on their recovery. This finding suggests that the impact of attributions of self-blame may differ according to a survivor's sexual assault history. Further research is needed to replicate this finding, determine whether therapeutic attempts to modify attributions enhance recovery, and identify potential social network responses that may be associated with attributions made by survivors of sexual assault. Tables, references