Trauma in Victims of Sexual Assault Free Essay Example

Research Questions

It is observed that many people experience trauma as a result of sexual harassment. In regards to this, it is imperative to understand the key factors and parameters that measure the trauma of sexual assault victims by asking key and pertinent questions. The questions guide the research and make basis for proper analysis and discussion. The following are the main research questions for the research concerning trauma victims of sexual assault.

What comprises of trauma victims of sexual assault?

What primary factors influence trauma victims of sexual assault?

What role does gender play in trauma victims of sexual assault?

Is trauma of victims of sexual assault different from victims to victims?

How can trauma victims be handled in order to rehabilitate and ensure their recovery?

What measure of trauma in the sexual assault victims takes a toll on the victim affecting their proceedings in life?

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Outline of Research Paper

Introduction

The introduction provides a detailed background and information to traumatic stress resulting from sexual assault. The introduction describes trauma victims of sexual assault then proceeds to define what the research is about. The introduction will serve to let the reader know of what to expect in the paper and have a clear and precise understanding of what the discussion will be handling

Thesis: Trauma victims of sexual assault undergo the same experience but are traumatised differently because of their genders

Research questions: the research questions will provide a framework for which the research will be conducted. The following research paper will be guided by six main research questions that the study will pay attention to so as to stay within the confines and dictates of the research design

What comprises of trauma victims of sexual assault?

What primary factors influence trauma victims of sexual assault?

What role does gender play in trauma victims of sexual assault?

Is trauma of victims of sexual assault different from victims to victims?

How can trauma victims be handled in order to rehabilitate and ensure their recovery?

What measure of trauma in the sexual assault victims takes a toll on the victim affecting their proceedings in life?

Trauma victims of sexual assault information and statistics

This part will elaborate the historical and current statistics of trauma victims of sexual assault in a bid to understand persons that are more affected and likely to be affected by the experience. It will be the information from previous researches and statistical analyses of the same as well as from government and scholarly reviews

Gender differences in sexual assault

The following section will elaborate on the different ways that gender plays a role in the trauma experience of sexually violated persons. To confirm the thesis, the following section will observe how different sexes, male and female, respond and act during their traumatic phase after being sexually violated. The following section is the backbone of the paper and hence will appreciate literature relating to sexual differences in sexual assault cases

Discussion

The discussion phase will compile the discovered information and make a final analysis judging from the found information in relation to how gender as a factor plays a role in the trauma of sexually violated individuals. The discussion will ensure to mass up the major areas of concern for the research paper and give a directive on what the information relates to or suggests rather

Conclusion

The conclusion will restate the thesis of the research and briefly summarise the key findings of the research paper. It will give a final remark in relation to the research study and proceed to close the paper

Annotated Bibliography

Galovski, T. E., Blain, L. M., Chappuis, C., & Fletcher, T. (2013). Sex differences in recovery from PTSD in male and female interpersonal assault survivors. Behaviour research and therapy, 51(6), 247-255.

The article studies and documents the differences that men and women have in their exposures to trauma. The study considered a trajectory of 69 male and female victims of sexual assault and summarises the key findings relating to the differences observed. The authors further detail on the manner in which different sexes respond and deal with trauma of sexual assault and the primary reason for such immense differences between the sexes.

Werber, C. (2017). Science is finally starting to take the pain of male victims of sexual assault seriously. Quartz, 2, 1-5. Retrieved from https://qz.com/1028482/science-is-finally-starting-to-take-the-pain-of-male-victims-of-sexual-assault-seriously/

The article sets out to discover which between the male and female gender is more depressed after a sexual assault encounter. It begins with the thesis that the men are less depressed and frustrated than the females but ends up realising that both are depressed and more so than any other person in the society. However, the authors mentions the chance of the women having more revelations of depressions than the men arguing that both sexes suffer but women tend to show unlike their male counterparts.

The following article gives a good account and understanding of the differences of trauma between sexes.

US Department of Veteran Affairs. (2018). Men and Sexual Trauma - PTSD: National Center for PTSD. Ptsd.va.gov. Retrieved 12 April 2018, from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/types/violence/men-sexual-trauma.asp

The article above describes all that entails in sexual assault of men in the society and how the men struggle with the same. It proceeds to coherently insist on the various stages that the men go through when facing their post sexual assault traumas insisting that it burns them inside just like it would any other person. The document comes in handy and useful to detail of the necessary experiences on the side of the men.

Rainn. (2017). Victims of Sexual Violence: Statistics RAINN. Rainn.org. Retrieved 12 April 2018, from https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence

The article gives statistics on trauma victims of sexual assault in the United States by being precise on categories such as youth, men, women and children. It further entails information relating to groups of persons that are more prone to sexual assault judging from the historical and current numbers and statistics reported to the departments of police and justice.

The author do well to mention averages and overall incidences of sexual assault and such like experiences in the US giving a clear view of how vast the trauma spreads across different groups of persons. It acts as an important document and article to the following research because it offers an insight on the specificity of trauma among and across different people in the society.

Callender, T., & Dartnall, L. (2010). Mental health responses for victims of sexual violence and rape in resource poor settings. Briefing Paper, Sexual Violence Research Initiative Retrieved February, 3, 2010.

The journal talks about the mental health status after an experience with sexual violence. The paper observes key areas of sexual violence attributing key factors like poverty and drugs to the same. It further provides the key factors that affect the mental status of a victim of sexual assault and thus determining the level of trauma and manner in which the trauma takes effect in the life of the victim.

The authors give case studies and real life examples that reveal the main areas of concern in light of the aforementioned problem and the retributions that may work towards curbing its far reaching ends.

Elliott, D. M., Mok, D. S., & Briere, J. (2004). Adult sexual assault: Prevalence, symptomatology, and sex differences in the general population. Journal of traumatic stress, 17(3), 203-211.

The document gives a stratified prevalence and impact of sexual assault on adults taking its results from a random and general population. It gives comparisons between the adults and children rates and numbers of sexual assault and observes the variations of symptoms between the two paying close attention to how each grows in the midst of that trauma.

It further considers the growth of a child that is a victim of sexual assault and views the type of adult they become. One primary study is how different an adult that was assaulted as a child is from an adult that has been assaulted as adults.

Maikovich-Fong, A. K., & Jaffee, S. R. (2010). Sex differences in childhood sexual abuse characteristics and victims’ emotional and behavioural problems: Findings from a national sample of youth. Child abuse & neglect, 34(6), 429-437.

The following paper analyses the sex differences in childhood abuse characteristics and observe how the abuse traits associated with the emotional and behavioural problems of children as sex assault victims. The paper goes further to account for the various types of responses children give to traumatic experiences related to sexual violence.

The authors clarify in their results that the girls are more likely to suffer from the experience than the boys because they attach deep emotions to such matters. The document is paramount and relevant to the following research because it agrees with the thesis of the paper and agrees that gender does play a major role in determining the toll that trauma of sexually assaulted victims will take on them.

References

Elliott, D. M., Mok, D. S., & Briere, J. (2004). Adult sexual assault: Prevalence, symptomatology, and sex differences in the general population. Journal of traumatic stress, 17(3), 203-211.

Rainn. (2017). Victims of Sexual Violence: Statistics | RAINN. Rainn.org. Retrieved 12 April 2018, from https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence

Abstract

The following paper seeks to study the different traumatic experiences in genders that have experienced sexual assault. The introduction describes trauma, the trauma victims and sexual assault. It later merges the definitions to describe what trauma victims of sexual assault are and their experiences. The research questions seek to guide the research and set out the path it should assume to determine the truthful or falsehood of the thesis. A study on adolescents revealed that the men reported of subsequent problems with their behaviours, suicidal thoughts and attempts, violence and abuse of substance than the female victims. Men and women are exposed differently to trauma and the resultant development of posttraumatic stress disorder. In this regard, the men and women end up behaving differently and showing the effect of the trauma as different based on them being of different sexes. Women can be said to suffer longer and outwardly because the trauma affects their emotions more than it does their physical stature.

The research progresses to give statistics relating to sexually traumatised individuals in the US and provide an explanation for these statistics. It then gives a detailed account of the role that gender plays in influencing the aftermath of the trauma in victims. The discussion collects the found data and information and gives an analysis of the findings leading to an affirmative and well-researched and thought out conclusion in relation to the thesis of the research paper. The conclusion summarises the major points and findings of the paper and restates the thesis.

Research Paper

Introduction

The United States has an average of 321,500 victims aged 12 years of older of rape and sexual assault every year. Survivors face an extreme case of difficult and painful emotions and experiences in the aftermath of an act of sexual violence or assault. Each survivor responds differently to traumatic situations and occurrences with the effects of this trauma either being short-term or long-term. Sexual assault entails any act that attempts to get a sexual act and ranges from unwanted sexually suggestive comments or acts to traffic against an individual via coercion by an individual regardless of location or relationship status.

Any coercive or forceful penetration to the vagina, vulva or anus by use of the penis or any other part of the body 0r object amounts to rape. Sexual violence and assault is a pervasive act yet still practised in many countries with many laws paying no attention to it despite it being a violation of the law. Men and women are exposed differently to trauma and the resultant development of posttraumatic stress disorder. In this regard, the men and women end up behaving differently and showing the effect of the trauma as different based on them being of different sexes. The following paper argues that Trauma victims of sexual assault undergo the same experience but are traumatised differently because of their genders.

Trauma Victims of Sexual Assault Information and Statistics

According to Rainn (2017), there are 321,000 victims of sexual assault and rape aged 12 and older in the United States. The young people in the society are more prone and are at a high risk of sexual violence because of the idea that they are youthful, beautiful and love to live a life of experiments and fun. Rainn (2107) insists that the majority of sexually assaulted victims are below the age of 30. Of the total population, the risk stakes stand at 15% for persons aged between 12 and 17, 54% for those aged between 18 and 34, 28% for those aged between 35 and 64 and 3% for those above the age of 65 years (Rainn, 2017). In reference to gender, the females experience high rates of sexual assault and violence.

At least 1 out of every six women in the US is a victim of rape or any attempt of rape in her lifetime. Millions of women in the US experience rape in their lifetime with the numbers suggesting that 17.7 million of the women in the US have been sexually assaulted since the year 1988. The young females are usually the ones at a higher risk with 82% of all the juvenile rape victims being female and 90% of the adult rape victims being women (Rainn, 2017). Women between the ages 18 and 24 and are in college are thrice as more likely than other women to experience sexual assault or violence while those in the same age group but not enrolled in college have four times the risk factor (Rainn, 2017). Men suffer from sexual violence as well and do so in millions in the US. Rainn (2017) records that 2.78 million US men have been victims of either completed or attempted rape as of the year 1988.

Approximately 1 out of every 33 men in the country has had an experience with rape in their lifetime with 1 out every 10 rape victims being male (Rainn, 2017). Apart from the two sexes, the transgender individuals further stand at high risks of being victims of sexual assault or violence with 21% of the TGQN in college having been assaulted as compared to the 18% of the non-TGQN women and the 4% of non-TGQN men. Elliot et al. (2004), suggests from observation of studies that between 13% and 25% of females experience a sexual assault at a given point in their lives. However, the studies reveal that the rates of adult sexual assault are low for the men than the women. In general the women are more likely to experience many types of interpersonal violence than their male counterparts.

Preliminary data insists that sex differences exist in line with the characteristics of ASA and all events that surround it. The female are likely to be more injured both physically and emotionally than the men when sexually assaulted or violated (Elliot et al., 2004). Clinical studies argue that both genders, male and female show depressive accounts. However, the men immediately show denial and control of emotions after the sexual act and as such are more likely to experience higher levels of hostility and depression.

Sexual assault has long term effects on people with post-traumatic stress disorder being the primary effect. According to Rainn (2017), 94% of raped women experience symptoms of the post-traumatic stress disorder two weeks after the actual act, 30% show PTSD even after 9 months of being raped, 13% attempt suicide and at least 70% of the rape or victims of sexual assault go through moderate to severe distress that is a larger percentage than from any crime. Rainn (2017), insists that persons that have encountered sexual violence or assault more likely to indulge in the use of drugs than the other population with the statistics showing that they are 3.4 times probable to smoke and use marijuana, 6 times more likely to use cocaine and 10 times likely to abuse other major drugs.

The effects of sexual violence or assault stride across family relationships and friends as well as co-workers. In this regard, it is seen that 38% of the sexual violence victims experience problems at their places of work or school that can entail serious problems with the boss, co-workers or peers (US Department of Veteran Affairs, 2018). On the other hand, Maikovich-Fong (2010), reveals that 37% of the victims experience problems with family members or friends that may involve getting into constant and frequent arguments than before and the inability to trust any of their friends or family members because of a disconnect that only they feel.

Rainn (2017), further records that 79% of those that were made victims by a member of family, close compatriot experience issues with their profession or emotions and this includes moderate to severe levels of stress as well as a marked increased problems at the place of work or school. At least 67% of the survivors that were victimized by a stranger struggle in their areas of profession and school with the suffering ranging from moderate to severe cases of distress accompanied with increased problems at the place of work or school.

Gender Differences in Sexual Assault

According to Elliot et al., (2004), clinical studies are adamant that both the men and women are exposed to significant risks of sexual assault but the men get into denial and emotional control and thus higher chances of being depressed and hostile. Furthermore, these types of men are more likely to have a history of psychiatric diagnosis even if it is just one and prior psychiatric hospitalizations than their female counterparts. A study on adolescents revealed that the men reported of subsequent problems with their behaviours, suicidal thoughts and attempts, violence and abuse of substance than the female victims. Werber (2017), insists that criminologist Lisa Dario was of the opinion that sexually assaulted men would display lower levels of depression than the female counterparts basing the hypothesis on previous literature review.

Numerous studies have proven that men and women reacted differently to sexual assaults but the women tended to display more depression and sadness that would usually turn inward such as towards disorders in eating and use of drugs. The men, on the other hand had a tendency to display violence and commit serious crimes. However, Dario and her team discovered that there are no particular differences between the rates at which the two genders that have had an experience with sexual assault at a given point in their lives experienced depression. According to Werber (2017), the victims of both genders reported serious and high levels of depression than the rest of the general population with studies revealing the same number of depressed parties from both sides.

According to Werber (2017), the number of men that are assaulted sexually is less than that of women who go through the same experience and there is very little chance of the men being sexually assaulted unless they are inmates or juveniles. One out of every six women in the United States experiences rape at some point in their lives as compared to the one out of every 71 men as reported by the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (Werber, 2017). Dario challenges the stance insisting that the numbers are high in both cases and even the women are many, the underreporting could primarily be because of the stigma that is associated with coming forward in the case of the men.

Epidemiologic study argues that multiple sex differences exist in the exposure to trauma together with the subsequent development of the posttraumatic stress disorder. IN general, 60% of the male population experience a traumatic event in their lifetime as compared to the 50% of women. Men are more likely to experience a traumatic experience with the exception of rape and sexual assault. In line with the same, psychopathology development courtesy of traumatic exposure varies with sex too. It is observed that traumatic stresses is different across women and men and sexual assault tends to have association with the highest rates of prevalence of PTSD in women. However, there is more to the differences than simply the sexes and the difference sin sexes, but also the specific nature of the traumatising event and all the variations correlating with the clinical aspects of the PTSD.

A good number of sex differences have been recorded in most clinical representations of persons with positive PTSD with most of the differences correlating with guilt, anger and disassociation (US Department of Veteran Affairs, 2018). The men and women are exposed differently to trauma and thus develop PTSD and depressive emotionsdifferent rates presenting a host of PTSD concomitants like anger, guilt and dissociation in a totally different way (Callender, 2010). A close assessment of the demographics and trauma history did not show significant differences on the basis of sex.

The endorsements of sexual abuse on children stand at 64% and child physical abuse at 57% while those of adult sexual assault stand at 51% with the adult physical assault being 65% (Galovski et al., 2013). It is observed that lifetime trauma does not in any way differ by sex apart from the fact that the women endorsed a higher sense of sexual assault. Galovski et al., (2013), conducted a study where men and women entered a study with significantly similar presentations in light of demographics and presentations.

Both sexes were interesting in their reports on traumatic past experiences and more so in childhood. At adulthood, a good number of the participants recorded assault at similar rates although the women picked adult sexual traumas more than the men did. Galovski (2013) indicates that the participants did not differ in choice of index trauma basing on the focus of treatment.

Both men and women in view of the psychiatric distresses described the situation as demeaning implying that both felt the pinch of the trauma in almost equal measure but suffered in different ways. The similarities continued in the outcomes of the primary treatment and insisted that CPT was amenable to both genders and that sex hardly influenced the duration of the treatment necessary to reach the study end criteria in the efficacy and efficiency of response to the treatment. According to Galovski et al.,(2013), the observed differences in cognition and temperament comes from the nature of the sexes and cannot be particularly said to have been brought forth by the trauma but rather only triggered by it.

Discussion

The above literature entails a lot but all boils down to one thing, and that is that sex does not particularly initiate differences in trauma per say but rather influences how different sexes suffer from the trauma. The men, as observed suffer the same experience and trauma as the women but because of the norms of society, they tend to hold it within and not come out. The result is a show of anger, the tendency to get violent and into crimes. The women on the other hand may hold it in but suffer in ways such as develop eating disorders, mistrust close friends and family members hence get into frequent confrontations with them (Callender, 2010).

It is well to acknowledge that the sexes only act out differently based on their genders but hardly does it imply that the trauma they face in the event of a sexual assault experience is different. Secondly, women are thought to suffer more from the trauma as compared to the men because they are the ones that are privy to sexual assault encounters as compared to their male counterparts. According to Werber (2017), the investigation by Dario revealed that incidences of sexual assault are many in relation to the women and so more research concentrates on the quantity of persons recording traumatic experiences ignoring the reality of ratios. Therefore, it would be false to claim that men do not suffer as much as the women do and hence the difference is not whether they suffer or not but how they suffer these trauma as separate entities considering gender as the key demographical parameter.

More research needs to be done to appreciate the distinct natures of the two genders and thus appreciate the roles that gender plays in the event of sexual assault problems of cases rather. Women can be said to suffer longer and outwardly because the trauma affects their emotions more than it does their physical stature. The men feel embarrassed and deal with the trauma in a more inward and introvert way as compared to the females and this makes it difficult for them to be treated considering they feel it unmanly to come forward and say that they have been assaulted.

Conclusion

Sexual assault entails any act that attempts to get a sexual act and ranges from unwanted sexually suggestive comments or acts to traffic against an individual via coercion by an individual regardless of location or relationship status. Any coercive or forceful penetration to the vagina, vulva or anus by use of the penis or any other part of the body r object amounts to rape. In reference to gender, the females experience high rates of sexual assault and violence.

At least 1 out of every six women in the US is a victim of rape or any attempt of rape in her lifetime. Millions of women in the US experience rape in their lifetime with the numbers suggesting that 17.7 million of the women in the US have been sexually assaulted since the year 1988. Sexual assault has long term effects on people with post-traumatic stress disorder being the primary effect. A good number of sex differences have been documented in most clinical representations of persons with positive PTSD with most of the differences correlating with guilt, anger and disassociation. The men and women are exposed differently to trauma and thus develop PTSD and depression at different rates presenting a host of PTSD concomitants like anger, guilt and dissociation in a totally different way.

Epidemiologic study argues that multiple sex differences exist in the exposure to trauma together with the subsequent development of the posttraumatic stress disorder. In general, 60% of the male population experience a traumatic event in their lifetime as compared to the 50% of women.

The men, as observed suffer the same experience and trauma as the women but because of the norms of society, they tend to hold it within and not come out. The result is a show of anger, the tendency to get violent and into crimes. The women on the other hand may hold it in but suffer in ways such as develop eating disorders, mistrust close friends and family members hence get into frequent confrontations with them. It is well to acknowledge that the sexes only act out differently based on their genders but hardly does it imply that the trauma they face in the event of a sexual assault experience is different. The purpose of the following paper was to argue and research on gender as a parameter affecting the difference of trauma in women and men after a sexual assault encounter. However, the findings reveal that gender only affects the manner of suffering but not quantity or level of trauma.

References

Elliott, D. M., Mok, D. S., & Briere, J. (2004). Adult sexual assault: Prevalence, symptomatology, and sex differences in the general population. Journal of traumatic stress, 17(3), 203-211.

Rainn. (2017). Victims of Sexual Violence: Statistics | RAINN. Rainn.org. Retrieved 12 April 2018, from https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence

Trauma in Victims of Sexual Assault

Outline of Research Paper

Trauma victims of sexual assault information and statistics

Gender differences in sexual assault

Trauma Victims of Sexual Assault Information and Statistics

Gender Differences in Sexual Assault

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