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The goal of this thesis is to explore the mechanisms underlying the association between women's experiences of child sexual abuse (CSA) and substance use in adulthood. Specifically, I evaluated the role of CSA, adult sexual victimization (ASA), and psychological distress including symptoms of depression, perceived stress, and PTSD on substance use. Research has shown that individuals who experience CSA are more likely to experience ASA, which results in psychological distress. Individuals may engage in substance use to cope with psychological distress from CSA and ASA, consistent with the self-medication hypothesis. Women (N = 225) were recruited from Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and completed an online survey. Results indicate positive correlations between CSA, ASA, psychological distress, problem drinking, and drug use. Further, there was an indirect effect of CSA on substance use through ASA, but not psychological distress. Results highlight the importance of trauma informed care for women's psychological distress and problem substance use.

No More Odes to My Mouth is a collection of poetry exploring the effects of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on a speaker as she moves through a patriarchal world. Dealing in themes of sexual assault, gaslighting, witness, art, family, and love, the collection is a careful balancing of colloquial storytelling and lyric curiosity.

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This study was an observation of the public's knowledge and perceptions on sex offenders, sex offenses, and sex offender management policies. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 282 students at East Tennessee State University. Along with the basic demographic variables, respondent's field of study was measured as a main independent variable. For example, it was hypothesized that students studying within the criminal justice field would hold more accurate beliefs concerning the sex offender population. Overall, the study proved to be statistically insignificant. Multivariate analysis did show, however, that certain demographic variables were more predictive in determining an individual's support towards sex offender management policies.

For women, sexual assault is a widespread problem with numerous psychological consequences, yet many victims do not seek support. The present study investigates this lack of support seeking in the context of stigma. It is hypothesized that sexual assault victims who perceive themselves as stigmatized (due to their status as a sexual assault victim) will be less likely to seek support than those who do not perceive themselves as stigmatized. It is also hypothesized that Christian fundamentalism will play a role in the stigmatization of sexual assault victims, with higher degrees of fundamentalism being associated with greater likelihood of self-perceptions of stigmatization among sexual assault victims. Results indicate that there is a relationship between perceived stigma and certain support sources (clergy, parents, and other relatives), but this relationship is positive. The hypothesized relationship between Christian fundamentalism and perceived stigma was partially supported.

Women have continually become more visible in the military. With the recent changes that now allow women to participate in direct combat occupations, various questions and concerns emerge about how the public perceives these new role changes for women. This exploratory-descriptive study examined the perceptions of 50 University social work student's (B.S.W. and M.S.W.) about women's roles in the military. This research was conducted using Qualtrics.com, and included demographic questions. Frequencies, chi-squares and cross tabulations were used to examine relationships between variables. The results indicated that although no significant relationship between these variables was found, other possible considerations on the topic emerged. One important, though not statistically significant finding of this study was that social work students are accepting of women in the military. This research has implications for social work education as well as, in practice. Evaluating social work student perceptions toward women serving in the military can lead to a better understanding of biases against women in military roles.

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Many factors can discourage survivors of sexual assault from reporting their assaults. Even those survivors who disclose, their reporting experiences may not leave them feeling empowered or that they have received adequate support to begin the healing process after disclosure. Using a mixed methods approach, we examined the relationship between religious and spiritual coping strategies, the experience of social disclosure, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). We further used qualitative data examining the ways that participants used religious/spiritual coping strategies in response to the trauma of sexual assault. In total, 94 female or non-binary participants were enrolled. The CFA showed good model fit for all latent factors except positive religious coping and positive social responses. The SEM path analysis found a significant relationship between the latent factor Distract and PTSD symptoms. No other variables were significant in the SEM model, likely due to the small sample size. Qualitative data themes were identified such as respondent-supported healing, responses promoting shutting down/isolation, and responses affecting self-blame for social disclosure and positive and negative religious coping. Finally, this study substantiates the importance of research assessing the needs and experiences of sexual assault survivors, as this is a population that is particularly vulnerable, and struggles to get adequate support and resources. An increase in understanding about the experiences, needs, and coping strategies of sexual assault survivors will help both informal and formal interventions become more effective.