ERIC Number: EJ803507
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0145-4455
EISSN: N/A
Changes in Women's Sexual Behavior Following Sexual Assault
Deliramich, Aimee N.; Gray, Matt J.
Behavior Modification, v32 n5 p611-621 2008
The present study examines changes in women's sexual activity and behavior following sexual assault and the relationship between alcohol abuse and postassault promiscuity. Although many researchers have focused on avoidance of sexual activity following an assault, some have suggested that women may exhibit an increase in sexual activity postassault. Such outcomes are not mutually exclusive possibilities but may instead reflect subtypes of sexual assault victims. A significant percentage of assault survivors did report increases in sexual activity following trauma. Assault survivors also reported increases in posttraumatic alcohol consumption relative to a comparison sample of motor vehicle accident survivors. In both groups, increases in posttraumatic alcohol usage predicted increases in posttraumatic sexual activity, suggesting that use of alcohol as a coping strategy may result in an increased likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behavior. If true, this maladaptive coping mechanism could help to account for some instances of revictimization. (Contains 2 figures and 1 table.)
Descriptors: Sexual Abuse, Females, Alcohol Abuse, Drinking, Sexuality, Behavior Change, Victims of Crime, Correlation, Coping, At Risk Persons, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Check Lists, College Students
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2814
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A