Previous studies of resistance in the field of sociology have focused on many types of resistance but have not examined poor women’s resistance in the aftermath of trauma. Psychologists have examined trauma recovery and resilience, but have not examined these topics from an integrated, sociological perspective. In this work, I synthesize current scholarship on resistance from sociology with resilience in psychology and address these existing gaps. Through open-ended, semi-structured interviews with twenty-three women who suffered traumatic life events, I answer the following questions: How do women narrate their rebound from trauma and how do they define those experiences? What are the commonalities in women's narratives of overcoming? How do race, class, sexuality, and poverty intersect to affect resistance and resilience for these women? What themes emerge in women’s discussions of overcoming trauma? What aspects of their trauma recovery involve resistance and resilience? My findings show that women trauma survivors are resilient and resistant in a number of ways: through understood therapeutic means including self-help, support groups, therapy, reading about and watching programs regarding the subject, discussing trauma and recovery with family and friends, using mentors, engaging in positive spirituality, and through creative expression. I found women were resistant in less traditionally understood ways. These include choosing to get help with coping from therapy or support groups against the wishes of loved ones or others due to stigma. Other methods included renaming themselves “survivor”, “thriver”, or reject labels entirely, and creating new, resilient selves. Finally, I found that survivors of traumatic life events often rejected community norms regarding how gender is “done,” by rejecting femininity, eschewing marriage, living as out lesbians, or choosing not to have children. Two unique findings emerged through the data collection. The first was that women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds frequently rejected the idea of victimhood, identified as survivors, or chose no label at all. They narrated their transition from victim to survivor as a sudden choice as opposed to, as the literature suggests, a process. Second, I find that there is a very particular script for coping in women from lower classes which frames traumatic life experiences as, “just part of being a woman.” I find that these frequently women employed a “tough guise” identity to reclaim respect in their low-income communities. I further find that women recreate new, socially valorized identities free from stigma by engaging in prosocial coping.

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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 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.

Research supports the notion that sexual and physical assault history is associated with the use of self-protective strategies. One shortcoming in this area of research is the reliance on dichotomous (yes-no) measures of assault as opposed to number of experiences. The aim of this study was to determine if the number of sexual and physical assaults experienced is associated with self-protection behaviors, controlling for general safety concerns. Women (N = 293) completed measures of sexual and physical assault, self-protective behaviors, fear, and safety concerns using a web based survey. Contrary to expectations, sexual and physical assault (and the interactive effect of these variables) were not related to self-protective behaviors. However, safety concerns and overall fear were positively associated with the use of self-protective behaviors. These findings have implications for the creation of interventions aimed at victims of crime.

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