Summary: The Effects Of Sexual Assault On Mental Health

Any victim of sexual abuse faces the chance of having their development impacted. This is especially true amongst children. Studies have proven that children who have been sexually abused by a female offender often have different developmental experiences (T.A. Gannon, 2008, p. 356). Mental illness is yet another impact that victims face. Many sexual abuse victims transpire into states of depression, rage, and suicide; they even have strained relationships with certain individuals (Denov, 2014, p.

Sexual Assault described in technical terms is defined as any sort of sexual activity between two or more people in which one of the people involved is involved against his or her will. (3) The description of "against his or her will" extends to varying degrees of aggression, ranging from indirect pressure to a direct physical attack. According to the Crime Victim Research and Treatment Center 1.3 adult women are sexually assaulted in the United States every minute. (1) Of these assaults 84% of the attacks occur by someone the victim knows. The Senate Judiciary Committee the United States sighted the United States as having the highest rate of sexual assaults per capita in the

“Sexual assault is any type of sexual contact or behaviour that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and attempted rape.” (Unknown, 2016)

Sexual assault and the Massachusetts Department of Public works with local rape crisis centers to gather statistical data so we can assess and know the facts and realities of rape in Massachusetts. While statistics do not tell the whole story of sexual assault, they can help us paint a picture of the problem. The forensic nurse has an integral part of this specific population’s victimization. A forensic nurse should have a basic knowledge of the type of offender the rapist can be. As a certified sexual assault investigator for Middlesex County I have investigated, collected evidence, arrested, testified and successfully aided in the prosecution and conviction of rapists. I will explore the definition of rape and criminal statutes related to the crime of rape, rape trauma syndrome, and some of the drugs a perpetrator uses to assist in commission of this crime and how the FN and the police share a different but equal role in prosecuting the offender.

Whether it’s through sexual assault, stalking, physical or psychological means, maltreatment in relationships among college students has become a serious problem on college and university campuses. Most of these assaults have been either committed by someone the victim knew or an intimate partner. In the past, student victims who have attempt to deal with the effects of intimate partner violence (IPV) such as depression, low self-esteem, anxiety disorders, physical injuries or the assault itself, are often times faced with the unique challenges of finding resources or programs that might be able to assist them. However, in recent years, college and university campuses have implemented several sexual assault programs and procedures aimed at

(2012) conducted a follow-up assessment on women who survived at least one episode of sexual assault at least three months prior to receiving treatment; 86% of the sample had experienced at least one other traumatic event in addition to the index event. To be included and considered for treatment, the participants could have no current psychosis, substance dependency, or violent ideation.

Sexual assault is apparently a growing concern that has emotionally and physically affected many victims in the country. While most of them report the problem, they have a difficult time opening up and complying with the therapy sessions that can help gather enough information addressing the problem. Laurel is a good example of the victim who had suffered sexual

Sexual violence can cause a survivor to have psychological, emotional, and physical effects. These effects aren't easy to cope with or

Mulla uses a variety of victims’ narratives, forensic nurses’ statements, and detectives and attorneys, along with research studies to strength her study on the different topics of forensic sexual assault intervention. Each chapter of this book contains a different topic that contextualizes the overall topic of medico-legal intervention in sexual assault. These topics include DNA, time, emotions, reproduction and production, technology, documentation, home and healing, and patient compliance. Each one of the topic alludes to how this medico-legal intervention contributes to a victim undergoing more “violence” that is in the form of “care”. Using the narratives of victims, research about sexual violence, and personal observations in each of

Sexual assault | womenshealth.gov. Retrieved from https://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/sexual- assault.html Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind and body in the healing of trauma. New York, NY, US: Viking. Vayeghan, M. (2016).

The Violence of Care: Rape Victims, Forensic Nurses, and Sexual Assault Intervention. NYU Press, 2014.

Existing controlled examinations of intervention efficacy specific to only sexual assault and rape are presently minimal in comparison to intervention examinations of combination or other types of trauma (Regehr, Alaggia, Dennis, Pitts, & Saini, 2013). Psychotherapeutic interventions that fail to differentiate sexual assault and rape victims from other types of trauma victims may decrease the treatment effectiveness or inadvertently harm participants in this subgroup. Trauma associated from rape or sexual assault differs from other forms of trauma and treatment efficacy should be examined in this manner. Trauma from rape or sexual assault entail symptoms of PTSD, depression, suicidal ideations and sexual dysfunction. Individuals may also indicate feelings of vulnerability, loss of control, fear, shame, self-blame, societal blame and stigma (Russell & Davis, 2007; Regehr et al., 2013; Ullman &Peter-Hagene, 2014). This research proposal intends to explore the long term effectiveness of Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) at reducing distress and trauma explicitly for adult victims of sexual assault and rape.

To begin with, sexual assault is a term that people don’t necessarily know entirely what it means because it varies from state to state. “Sexual assault is a crime of

I choose this topic because sexual assault is one of the most offensive crimes committed in our society. Not only is it a threat to the community, but it has a physically and psychologically effect on the victim in many ways. For the last couple of decades, sexual assault, rape, and child molestation has become the focal point of public concerns today. According to a 1993 National Crime Victimization Survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, about 500,000 rapes or sexual assaults occur each year (Statistics, March 2010). The Department of Justice states that, “rape crimes have risen nearly three times as fast as the total crime rate”, although other studies have shown statistics that are in

This literature review provides a brief overview of six scholarly articles and other facts about sexual assault .This review will first define sexual assault as it is defined in these articles. It will analyze the strengths and limitations of the definition used and will discuss the occurrence of sexual assault in the general population.This review will also illustrate the protective factors, barriers to recovery , impact of development and the specific sexual assault population that are absent in these articles. Sexual assault is a societal issue that impacts men and women at every age in their life, it’s much more highly reported among college aged women. The majority of women who are victims of rape are