Psychological Effects Of Rape And Sexual Assault

The military has been about being a cohesive group and working together as one. Thus, many victims do not report sexual trauma because of being accused of terminating that cohesive group regardless who should be blamed. Therefore the military has an option for the victims to file a restrictive or unrestrictive report. Thus, the victim has the choice to remain anonymous in a restricted report, and receive necessary medical and psychological treatment. Or victims can choose an unrestricted report and press formal charges against the assailant, but they must disclose all of their information as well (Williams & Bernstein, 2011). This can come at a high cost to the victim if they want to press charges against their assailant. For instance some victims are prosecuted under an Article 15 for drinking or adultery for the same incident (Krul, 2008). The circumstances could impair the victim’s aspirations of making the military a career in the future. That incident could further reduce any chances of future promotions or even could result in a discharge from military service.

Throughout the world, deviant acts and social controls are committed everyday. An incredibly significant one that is often unreported is sexual assault within the military. Sexual assault is already determined as an extremely deviant act throughout the world. All acts of rape and other abusive acts should never be dismissed or ignored, but rape within the military is often not reported or recognized. If it is brought to light, the victims are generally in fear of losing their positions, rankings, homes, relationships with their spouses and families, etc…. This is not to state that men are not also victims of sexual assault, but women are much more prone and vulnerable to being attacked and harassed. I will be focusing on the female victims of military assault in this paper.

     There are two sides to a rape, the rapist and the victim. The victim is most of the time a woman but men are raped as well. It is a common myth that there is a type of woman that is more likely to be raped. This is indeed a myth, most of the time rape is a crime of opportunity, the victim is not chosen because of her looks or behavior, but because she is there (Benedict 2). The average rape victim is 18-39 years old and female, the average rapist is 25 years old and male. The effect of rape on a woman is an enormous one. The woman will come away from a rape with both physical and psychological damage. Eventually the physical wounds will heal, the psychological wounds will take quite some time before or if they ever heal (Grady 4). A sexual assault robs the woman of a sense of control; a feeling of loss of freedom is common among rape victims. To put her life in order she must regain this sense of control. Almost all rape victims suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (Benedict 2). The first symptom is the reliving or re-experiencing of the

The long term psychological effects associated with sexual assault includes, depression, substance use, anxiety, PTSD, and decreased self esteem (Foa & Riggs, 1993; Resick, 1993). The authors of this article supports current literature which proposes that African American children receives inadequate or inappropriate sexuality socialization and sexual abuse prevention in their cultures and families which may affect their disclosure of sexual assault in adulthood (Washington, 2001;Wyatt, 1992).

“The most shocking cover up in the United States Military is not what you would expect (The Invisible War),” reports of sexual assaults over all branches of the military have tremendously increase every since women have been allow to take part of the military. According to the Secretary of Defense, over 500,000 male and female soldiers have suffered of sexual abuse from senior peers and commanders. During the past years, many women reported a variety of cases of sexual abuse. Sadly, the victims were only ignored, blamed and punished for the events. Sexual assaults are considered a scandalous subject which our military has decided to avoid, but by doing so, the number of rapes has increase even faster. Rape is a repetitive criminal;

The symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder vary. They can include an increased level of anxiety, which can result in difficulty sleeping, concentrating, and an exaggerated response to noise. PTSD can affect a woman who has experienced sexual assault ability to remember past events, in particular events associated with her assault. (2) PTSD can cause feelings of detachment and numbness, as well as a desire to avoid anything that the victim might associate with her assault. While doctors have been able to identify the symptoms in many victims of sexual assault the exact cause of the disorder is still questioned. Is the disorder the body's response to trauma? If so what relationship exists between the symptoms associated with PTSD as trauma? A strong correlation has been found between sufferers of PTSD and poor health. (3) PTSD can lead to depression and sickness. PTSD if not treated can also indirectly cause accidents that can affect a victim's health. These accidents can be the result high levels of anxiety, of a lack of ability to focus, and a lack of ability to respond.

In “The Invisible War,” it is noted that “women who have been raped in the military have a PTSD rate higher than men who have been in combat” (The Invisible War, 2012). The impact that military sexual assault has on victims is tremendous. Both physical and mental trauma are common, and they play a significant role in how victims of sexual assault are able to return to their daily lives.

Sexual assault leaves an emotional impact on the victim. Sexual assault has long-term effects on its victims. Some of these “effects include anxiety, shock, intense fear, suicidal thinking, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder" (Doak). There are many different and serious mental illnesses that can be caused by sexual assault. The victim can also not completely understand the assault.

I am not going to argue the ethics of rape, what is right or wrong. Instead, I am trying to persuade you that the future safety of our country depends on the bettering of the system of prosecuting rapists in the military. The soldiers that are in the battles that protect our country should be protected themselves, and this is the only way to ensure their safety. A Newsweek article written by Jesse Ellison proves that women are more likely to be raped in the military than to be killed. The act of rape, while abundant in the military, is not the problem. The rapists are committing the sinful act multiple times on multiple victims because they are not being punished. The rapists need to realize that the acts they are committing are illegal and deserve to be punished.

Physical: Sexual abuse is the involvement of vulnerable adults that are involved in sexual activities, they were force to take part in. Such as rape or other sexual activities. This may take place in health and social care setting such as care homes, residential homes and the service users own home. Short terms effects may be short term but still have a lasting effect on the individual’s health and well-being, such as sexual transmitted infections for example medication can be taken to get rid of the infection but also can have lasting long terms effect on the individuals which can leave them with irreversible illness such as HIV which will be with them for life. They may

More than a decade after rape or physical assault during military service, women reported severely decreased health-related quality of life, with limitations of physical and emotional health, educational and financial attainment, and severe, recurrent problems with work and social activities.” (Para 4.) The article talks about the frequency of women getting raped or sexually assaulted, and the injuries that these women face physically and emotionally, even years after the incident occurs. In this particular study, a “Cohort of women veterans who served in the Vietnam, post-Vietnam, or Persian Gulf War era was selected.” (Para 9.) Around six hundred women participated in this study, and “Almost half the participants (48%) reported some type of physical or sexual victimization during their military service. Physical assault was reported by 35%, and most (58%) had been assaulted at least twice. Rape was reported by 30%, in 11% it was attempted and in 19% completed.” The seriousness of these situations recurring should not go

     Sexual assault is a term that is used interchangeably with the word rape. The decision on whether or not to use the term rape or sexual assault is made by a state’s jurisdiction. Sexual assault is more readily used in an attempt to be more gender neutral (National Victim Center). Sexual assault can be most easily described as forced or unconsentual sexual intercourse. The individual that is performing these acts on the victim may either be a stranger or an acquaintance. In 1994, 64.2 percent of all rapes were committed by someone the offender had previously known (Ringel, 1997). Regardless, this type of crime can have extreme effects on the victim.

Rape is an experience which shakes the foundations of the lives of the victims. For many its effect is long term, impairing their capacity for personal relationships, altering their behaviour and values and generating fear, Temkin (1986:17).

     Webster’s Dictionary describes rape as the crime of forcing another person to submit to sex acts, especially sexual intercourse. Rape is a crime in which most women cannot defend themselves. The fear of rape plagues every woman at some point or another in her life. The traumatic effects of rape vary from mild to severe, from psychological to physical. This paper will evaluate rape, as well as the effects it has on women, the theory behind male dominance and patriarchy, and differences in demographics.

Everything has an effect on everyone. Whether it is positive or not. How does rape effect the victims? In the article, Rape: Scope, Impact, Interventions and Public Policy Responses, the author talks about how women still experience physical and emotional impacts of rape for longer than the one-year reference. When rape victims are evaluated at a trauma center meet symptoms criteria of PTSD. Many rape victims seek out mental health treatment. Victims of rape have been diagnosed with chronic pelvic pain, headaches, general pain, gastrointestinal disorder, psychogenic seizures, and premenstrual symptoms. Mainly women end up with depression and other mental disorders. When people are raped, how they handle it is on them. Some women let what happened to them drag them in to a horrible depression, let it take over their lives, and let it be what keeps them down. Other women take what happened to them be a positive effect. They build a better life for themselves, became advocates for anti-rape, or make peace and move on with their lives. Everyone handles traumatic experiences differently.