The present study explored the influence of survivor weight and participant gender, rape myth acceptance and anti-fat attitudes on perceptions of sexual assault. Using an online survey tool, participants (N = 413) read a vignette describing a hypothetical sexual assault scenario and completed several self-report questionnaires. Generalized linear model analyses revealed that participants were more likely to hold the survivor responsible, excuse the perpetrator’s actions, and respond more negatively toward the survivor and more positively toward the perpetrator when the survivor was depicted as thin versus overweight. Interactions were found between rape myth acceptance and survivor weight, gender and survivor weight, and gender and anti-fat attitudes, for certain dependent variables. In addition, men and those with higher levels of rape myth acceptance and anti-fat attitudes were found to make more negative evaluations of the survivor and more positive evaluations of the perpetrator. Recommendations for future research and interventions are discussed.

The present study explored the influence of survivor weight and participant gender, rape myth acceptance and anti-fat attitudes on perceptions of sexual assault. Using an online survey tool, participants (N = 413) read a vignette describing a hypothetical sexual assault scenario and completed several self-report questionnaires. Generalized linear model analyses revealed that participants were more likely to hold the survivor responsible, excuse the perpetrator’s actions, and respond more negatively toward the survivor and more positively toward the perpetrator when the survivor was depicted as thin versus overweight. Interactions were found between rape myth acceptance and survivor weight, gender and survivor weight, and gender and anti-fat attitudes, for certain dependent variables. In addition, men and those with higher levels of rape myth acceptance and anti-fat attitudes were found to make more negative evaluations of the survivor and more positive evaluations of the perpetrator. Recommendations for future research and interventions are discussed.

Over the past few years, incidents of gender-based violence on Canadian university campuses have gained public attention. In 2013 rape chants occurred during frosh week at two universities – UBC and Saint Mary’s. In March 2014 the University of Ottawa’s hockey and coaching staff was suspended after the sexual assault of a woman was reported in Thunder Bay where the team was playing an out-of-town game. Later in 2014, the misogynistic Facebook posts by Dalhousie dentistry students came to the public’s attention. A number of sexual assaults have also taken place on the University of Saskatchewan campus, including high profile cases in 2003 and 2012. The current project takes a step back to explore two research questions. First, how did women’s experiences at the University of Saskatchewan campus shape the institutional discourse and policies and procedures on sexual assault? Second, what were the “ruling relations” that affected the chain of actions leading to the development of sexual assault policies? In order to answer the two research questions, institutional ethnography, augmented by interpretive historical sociology, were utilized. Archival documents from the University of Saskatchewan Archives and Special Collections were gathered and six semi-structured interviews were conducted. Double standards, sexism, limited child care, sexual harassment and sexual assault were just a few issues that female students, faculty, and staff were concerned with at the University of Saskatchewan. There were a number of groups on campus during the time frame under investigation such as the Pente Kai Deka, the Women’s Directorate, and the Help Centre. However, the thesis focuses mainly on the President’s Committee on the Status of Women (PCSW), the President’s Advisory Committee on the Status of Women (PACSW), and the Sexual Harassment Office (SH Office). In 1990 the PACSW was formally created. The main iii goal of the PACSW was to create the Reinventing Our Legacy (ROL) report, which was based on submissions received from all groups on campus. Through the submissions the PACSW derived nine recommendations to address sexual/gender harassment at the University of Saskatchewan. The six interviewees involved with the PACSW described the barriers experienced both within and outside the Committee. As well, the interviewees felt the ROL report did not have the expected impact on the University of Saskatchewan campus. Incidents of sexism, sexual harassment and sexual assault are still occurring at the University of Saskatchewan. Based on information received from the women of the PACSW interviewed for this research, the archival data collected, and other research involvement regarding campus sexual assault, the thesis presents five recommendations for the University of Saskatchewan: a safe space, professional staff, education, policy and procedures, and resources.

Since the 2011 revolution, the media has given much attention to the problem of sexual harassment and assault in Egypt. Attacks against female journalists and protestors have thrust the issue into the international spotlight, but it is a problem that has plagued Egypt for years. The majority of women in Egypt face some kind of sexual harassment everyday. This report is about the men and women who are working to stop sexual harassment and assault in Egypt. / text

More than 20 million people in the United States have survived a completed or attempted rape in their lifetimes, and approximately 22.5 million people have problematic substance use. The interplay between these two issues is complex: a history of sexual assault predicts substance abuse and, conversely, substance abuse increases sexual assault risk. This secondary analysis of the Virginia Twin Study of Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders data for White female-female twins (n=1,497) examines the role of multiple traumas in the sexual assault/substance abuse association. Structural models were used to examine pathways between child sexual abuse (CSA), other traumas, familial factors, social support, psychiatric disorders, and substance abuse. The models also integrate the ACE twin design to estimate genetic, shared environment, and individual-specific environment contributions to liability for psychiatric disorders and substance abuse. Study findings support an interplay between childhood trauma, development of substance abuse and psychiatric disorders, and risks for adult victimization. The findings also support assertions that multiple traumas may increase likelihood for substance abuse and psychiatric disorders, and that these disorders predict risk of adult sexual assault. Across all ACE models, both genetics and common environment produced consistently large estimates of influence on liability for substance abuse. Individual-specific environment played a smaller role but was also often significant, and the pathways from trauma variables to both psychiatric disorders and substance abuse tended to be strong. This supports an interaction between genes and environment/experience in which genetic predisposition, though present, may or may not be activated depending on life experiences. Study findings underscore the need for integrated services for clients with history of multiple traumas and for clients with trauma history and substance abuse or psychiatric disorders. / text

Sexual assault among college students in the US has prompted debate about how to prevent and punish such crimes. Under Title IX and the 2011 Dear Colleague Letter from the Office for Civil Rights, universities are required to undertake the prevention, investigation, and punishment of sexually violent offenses on college campuses. However, the vast majority of victims do not report their assaults, whether on campus or to the police. The current study investigated the effect of victim reporting on perceptions of sexual assault. Two undergraduate samples, one from a small liberal arts college (n = 197) and another recruited using Amazon Mechanical Turk (n = 56), were randomly assigned to read a vignette of an alleged sexual assault including one of four reporting conditions: no reporting, reporting to on-campus administrators, reporting to law enforcement, or reporting both on campus and to law enforcement. Outcome measures included whether the participant believed an assault had taken place, measures of victim and perpetrator culpability, and scales measuring the extent to which the participant accepts rape myths (RMA) and believes in a just world (JWB). Results failed to demonstrate an effect of victim reporting type, but did find a significant effect of gender such that males blamed the victim more and were less likely to believe an assault had taken place than females. RMA also mediated this relationship, such that the effect of gender on perceptions was accounted for by differences in RMA. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2003. / Includes bibliography.

Våldtäkt är ett stort samhällsproblem i världen och påverkar kvinnors hälsa. Sjuksköterskor har bristande kunskap i mötet med kvinnor som utsatts för våldtäkt samt kvinnors sexuella hälsa. Vården har en betydelsefull roll för de som söker hjälp och sjuksköterskan bör ha kunskap om våldtäkt och dess konsekvenser för att kunna bemöta och ge rätt vård. Syftet med studien var att belysa kvinnors upplevelser efter att ha utsatts för våldtäkt. Studien är genomförd som en litteraturstudie med åtta artiklar till grund för resultatet. Två huvudteman presenteras i resultatet; upplevelser mot självet samt upplevelser mot andra. Kvinnornas upplevelser mot självet berörde - självbild. - oro, ångest, ensamhet och nedstämdhet, -skuld och skam samt -styrka och maktlöshet. Kvinnornas upplevelser mot andra människor berörde -tillit, rädsla och ilska samt - sexuella relationer. Sjuksköterskan behöver öka sin kunskap och förståelse för kvinnor som utsatts för våldtäkt för att inte påverkas av samhällets fördomar. Resultatet belyser kvinnors upplevelser och förklaringar till dessa upplevelser. Det krävs dock vidare forskning avseende detta område för att få en större förståelse kring kvinnors upplevelser efter våldtäkt samt grunden till upplevelserna. / Rape is a major society problem in the world and affects women's emotions. Nurses have inadequate knowledge of women's sexual health and meeting with women whom are victims of rape. Health care has an important role for those seeking help. Therefore nurses must have knowledge regarding the consequences of rape in order to provide the proper care. The aim of the study was to highlight the experiences of female rape victims. The study was conducted as a literature review of eight articles which form the basis for the result. Two main themes are presented in the result; experiences towards the-self and experiences towards others. Women's experiences towards the-self includes; -self-image, -concerns, anxiety, loneliness and depression, -guilt and shame, and -strength and powerlessness. Women's experiences towards others includes; -trust, fear and anger and -sexual relationships. Nurses must increase their knowledge and understanding of female rape victims to avoid being influenced by society's prejudices. The result highlights women's experiences after rape and gives explanations for these experiences. However, further research is necessary to increase the knowledge and understanding of female rape victims' experiences.

By using the theoretical framework developed by Schaefer and Moos (1998), this study examined the mechanisms through which personal beliefs in ultimate justice affect posttraumatic growth in female survivors of sexual assault. Problem solving, spiritual coping, and meaning making were examined as potential mediators between beliefs in ultimate justice and posttraumatic growth through a path analysis. In total, 144 female community survivors, psychology students, and other participants were recruited from a large mid-western university (mean age = 29.3). The online survey was composed of a demographic questionnaire, the Revised Sexual Experiences Survey (Koss et al., 2007), Emotion Thermometer (Mitchell, 2001), Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996), Belief in Immanent and Ultimate Justice Scale (Maes, 1998), Trauma Resilience Scale (Madsen & Abell, 2010), and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (Steger, Frazier, Oishi, & Kaler, 2006). Results indicate that problem solving and spirituality significantly mediated the relationship between belief in ultimate justice and posttraumatic growth. Search for meaning significantly mediated the relationship between beliefs in ultimate justice and distress. Implications for practice and research are discussed. Keywords: sexual assault, posttraumatic growth, belief in a just world, meaning making, coping

In this paper, I recount my experiences with PTSD and my own initial reluctance to seek treatment. I address similar stigmas associated with sexual assault and PTSD— how they are reinforced by media, and their role in silencing victims. I explore how trauma transforms my academic research and work as a media artist. Finally, I explore how art is a healing process through my partially autobiographical thesis project, “The Things that We Create.” By sharing my journey, I hope to continue the dialogue on structural changes that are necessary to combat stigmas of sexual assault and PTSD (not only exclusive to sexual assault victims), and highlight the art-making process as a fundamental tool in restorative recovery.