NCJ Number
176315
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 12 Issue: 3 Dated: June 1997 Pages: 407-419
Date Published
1997
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article reports on an assessment of trauma symptoms and sexual self-esteem in a college population of 41 women who had been date raped and 125 women who had not.
Abstract
Measures used in the study included the Trauma Symptom Inventory and the Sexual Self-Esteem Inventory. College women who had been date raped indicated significantly more trauma symptoms and lower sexual self-esteem in several areas than did college women who had not been raped. Specific trauma symptoms that were found to be strongly related to whether or not a participant had been raped included symptoms of a sexual nature, such as dysfunctional sexual behavior and sexual concerns, and other symptoms such as dissociative-like experiences, intrusive experiences and avoidance. Women who had been date raped indicated lower sexual self-esteem in their evaluations of the morality of their sexual behaviors and feelings, in their evaluations of the compatibility of their sexuality with other goals in their lives, and in their evaluations of their ability to control their sexual feelings, behaviors and relationships. Tables, references