While a substantial amount of research has addressed the psychological impact sexual assault has on its victims – as well as subsequent behavioral consequences – little is known regarding the stigma a victim of sexual assault may perceive as a result of her experiences. Perceived stigma may include feelings of shame, exclusion, and self-consciousness. Additionally, there have been no studies to date examining the impact such perceived stigmatization may have on help seeking behavior. To address this lack of data, college undergraduates at East Tennessee State University were recruited and surveyed over the Internet (course credit was provided as compensation for participation). To date, 51 (15%) out of 331 female participants indicated that they had experienced sexual assault (i.e., they had been coerced – physically or otherwise – into engaging in sexual activity against their will). Preliminary results indicated that these women perceived stigma as a result of sexual assault (M=1.40, SD=.87, range=0-3). Although marginally significant, preliminary results further show that with increased levels of perceived stigma women were somewhat less likely to seek help or support from friends and family; for example, participants who perceived themselves as stigmatized were less likely to share details of the incident with others (r=-.284, p=.053) or ask others to share similar experiences (r=-.275, p=.061). Other factors potentially impacting the relationship between perceived stigmatization and help seeking will be addressed; specifically, the impact of religious fundamentalism on perceived stigma and subsequent help seeking behavior. Because these consequences of sexual assault and contributors to help seeking have yet to be addressed in the literature on sexual assault, this study sheds new light on the impact such events have on women.

This study investigates the impact of traffic patterns and the availability of emergency medical services on the lethality of violent interpersonal encounters. Key situational and contextual factors are controlled using the criminal events perspective. Data were taken from the 2002 National Incident-Based Reporting System of the FBI, as well as from fire/rescue and EMS services of Memphis, TN, Cincinnati, OH, and Richmond, VA. Additive models of logistic regression analysis revealed that fire/rescue availability, firearm use, incidents arising out of arguments, outdoor locations, and victim gender are the most consistent predictors of whether or not a violent incident will result in a homicide.

This study aims to explore nursing students' knowledge and perceptions of identifying and treating victims of sexual assault and sex trafficking. Survey data was collected from second to fifth semester nursing students in Eastern Tennessee. The study aims to identify students' perceptions of medical personnel's ability to identify and treat sexual assault and sex trafficking victims, examine whether adherence to myths affects knowledge and confidence levels, determine students' confidence in identifying and treating victims, and evaluate whether demographic characteristics affect identification and treatment. Results will help improve our approach towards these issues.

Thesis advisor: Shanta Pandey / Thesis advisor: Jessica Shaw / Sexual violence remains one of the most pervasive and underreported crimes in modern society. Sexual violence largely impacts women and people with other marginalized identities and has historical origins as a tool for domination and control. Although, sexual assault and rape are common occurrences, survivors of sexual assault and rape do not report their crime, and many choose not to seek help. One reason offered in sexual violence literature as an explanation for low rates of reporting and resource-seeking is attributed to the “hidden rape” victim phenomenon. More than half of survivors do not acknowledge or label their experience as a sexual assault or rape, even though their experience meets the legal definition of rape. While many reasons may influence survivors to call their experience a rape or sexual assault, such as their relationship to the person who sexually assaulted them, substance use, or prior sexual encounters with the person who sexually assaulted them, there remains much to be explored about how survivors come to understand and label their assault. Especially, as research demonstrates that unacknowledged rape is directly correlated with non-reporting and resource-seeking decisions. This study examined the influences of internalized oppression and conscientization on how survivors label and understand their experience with sexual violence, and how those influences may affect post-assault resource-seeking decisions. This study is a secondary qualitative analysis of 22 semi-structured interviews collected between the years of 2018-2019 in a Northeast region of the U.S that focused on the experience of adolescent sexual assault. I examined the process of labeling a sexual assault among survivors and how their interactions with others in the social world informs that labeling process. Boejie’s constant comparative analytical method (CCM) for analyzing qualitative interviews, was used for code and category generation with the intent of theme identification. Findings from this study outlined types of oppressive and anti-oppressive messages that informs manifestations of internalized oppression and the conscientization process that attenuates it among sexual assault survivors. Additionally, as internalized oppression and conscientization are psychological states that necessitate cultivation this study highlights the reinforcing and disruptive experiences that allowed for its continued indoctrination. Finally, this study uplifts the multiplicative experiences among sexual assault survivors with marginalized identities. Insights from this study provide new understandings of how internalized oppression and conscientization manifest among sexual assault survivors. Furthermore, the study highlights the impact these intrapsychic phenomena have on post-assault processing and decision-making. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.

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