NCJ Number
142398
Date Published
1991
Length
153 pages
Annotation
Written with nonrecent, late adolescent or adult rape victims in mind, this book presents an overview of information all mental health professionals should have about rape and the treatment of rape victims.
Abstract
The first chapter reviews empirical studies on the prevalence and impact of rape, followed by a section on therapeutic considerations in the treatment of rape victims. This is followed by a chapter that provides an overview of the empirical findings to date on patterns of reactions subsequent to rape. A chapter then reviews what is known about factors that mediate the patterns of adjustment. Since all victims do not show the same type or severity of reactions, some combination of individual, situational, and social factors play a role in individual responses. Crisis intervention is discussed in one chapter; this is an introduction to the topic for clinicians who might be asked to provide emergency services to victims. An overview of assessment is presented in another chapter, which also emphasizes the importance of developing a meaningful conceptualization of each case that incorporates models of rape reactions. Therapists are encouraged to share this formulation with the victim to help her understand how her problems developed in the context of her own victimization and how proposed treatment plans address goals chosen mutually out of a shared understanding of the problems and their etiology. The remaining chapters discuss treatment. They focus on problem areas that are common consequences of rape: anxiety problems, depression, and sexual problems. The final chapter addresses special issues for treatment, including adjustment reactions of partners and male victims. Some of the chapters contain case examples to illustrate victim reactions or treatment implementation. 200 references, and appended semistructured interview, and author and subject indexes