27
views
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
0 collections
    0
    shares
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: found
      Is Open Access

      Sexual assault and posttraumatic stress disorder: A review of the biological, psychological and sociological factors and treatments

      research-article

      Read this article at

      Bookmark
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          Sexual assault occurs with alarming frequency in Canada. The prevalence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in assault survivors is drastically higher than the national prevalence of the disorder, which is a strong indication that the current therapies for sexual-assault-related PTSD are in need of improvement. Increasing knowledge and understanding of the pathologies associated with rape trauma in biological, psychological and sociological domains will help to develop more effective treatments for survivors. A dysregulation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis is observed in survivors of sexual assault and this may be a fundamental cause of the structural and functional abnormalities contributing to PTSD symptoms. Pharmacotherapies are available to treat PTSD; however, they are often inadequate or unwanted by the survivor. Psychological health is compromised following interpersonal trauma and many psychological therapies are available, but with varying efficacy. A person's cognitions have a dramatic effect on the onset, severity, and progress of PTSD following sexual assault. Sociological impacts of assault influence the development of PTSD through victim-blaming attitudes and the perpetuation of rape myths. Perceived positive regard and early social support is shown to be important to successful recovery. Education is vital in rape prevention and to foster a supportive environment for survivors. The biological, psychological and sociological impacts and treatments should not remain mutually exclusive. A better appreciation of the biopsychosocial repercussions of sexual assault will aid in developing a more holistic and individualized therapy to help alleviate the physical and emotional pain following the trauma of rape.

          Related collections

          Most cited references31

          • Record: found
          • Abstract: found
          • Article: not found

          A dual representation theory of posttraumatic stress disorder.

          A cognitive theory of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is proposed that assumes traumas experienced after early childhood give rise to 2 sorts of memory, 1 verbally accessible and 1 automatically accessible through appropriate situational cues. These different types of memory are used to explain the complex phenomenology of PTSD, including the experiences of reliving the traumatic event and of emotionally processing the trauma. The theory considers 3 possible outcomes of the emotional processing of trauma, successful completion, chronic processing, and premature inhibition of processing We discuss the implications of the theory for research design, clinical practice, and resolving contradictions in the empirical data.
            Bookmark
            • Record: found
            • Abstract: not found
            • Article: not found

            Behavioral/cognitive conceptualizations of post-traumatic stress disorder

              Bookmark
              • Record: found
              • Abstract: not found
              • Article: not found

              Preventing the "Second Rape": Rape Survivors' Experiences With Community Service Providers

                Bookmark

                Author and article information

                Journal
                Mcgill J Med
                9710939
                McGill Journal of Medicine : MJM
                McGill University
                1201-026X
                July 2006
                : 9
                : 2
                : 111-118
                Author notes
                * To whom correspondence should be addressed: Kaitlin A. Chivers-Wilson, University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre, 2-705, Students' Union Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2J7., Phone: 780-604-9697, Email: kaitlin@ 123456ualberta.ca

                Kaitlin A. Chivers-Wilson is an undergraduate student in the faculty of sciences at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, AB, Canada). She intends to enter graduate studies in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Alberta in 2006. Her research interests are diverse, with a particular interest in women's health. Kaitlin is passionate about raising awareness of sexual assault and has volunteered at the University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre since 2003, providing crisis intervention, information and support to sexual assault survivors and their supporters, as well as facilitating education programs to student groups across campus.

                Article
                mjm0902p111
                10.26443/mjm.v9i2.663
                2323517
                18523613
                90b393cd-e8f5-49b1-9d2a-6af6cc9cede9
                Copyright © 2006 by MJM

                This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License, which permits for noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any digital medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not altered in any way. For details, please refer to http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

                History
                Categories
                Original Article

                Medicine
                pharmacotherapy,sexual assault,trauma,rape,posttraumatic stress disorder
                Medicine
                pharmacotherapy, sexual assault, trauma, rape, posttraumatic stress disorder

                Comments

                Comment on this article