The current experiment aims to integrate the neuropsychological and physiological consequences of rape trauma and physical restraint. Given the preponderance of rape on college campuses, it is important for continued research efforts to provide insight into the impact that this traumatic experience may have on the victim. Moreover, it is expected that an improved understanding of these consequences and mechanisms will provide a foundation for prevention and treatment efforts. Within this context, capacity theory provides a basis for appreciating that extreme stress may alter and/or damage neural systems principally associated with the regulatory control or inhibition over brain regions directly involved in the experiential processing and/or comprehension of the traumatic event. The aim of the present experiment was to explore how the experience of rape trauma may alter or diminish this capacity, resulting in deregulation, heightened reactivity, and sensitivity to decomposition from subsequent exposure to these events. It was hypothesized that individuals with resultant capacity limitations would differ in the regulatory control of cynical hostility or denial and sympathetic advances of the autonomic nervous system. Results demonstrated that women who have experienced rape showed decreased frontal regulatory control capacity compared to women who have not experienced rape as evidenced in sympathetic reactivity (heart rate, electrodermal activity, and systolic blood pressure) to frontal lobe stressors. Results are discussed in terms of the extant neuropsychological literature and the implications of observed differences for women who have experienced rape type trauma. / Doctor of Philosophy / Rape as a trauma type is a serious problem with the potential for severe impact on the lives of victims. Based upon past research that provides evidence for neural changes in specific brain pathways that control automatic bodily responses, the current experiment was designed to looked at how the brains of women who have experienced rape may differ from those of women who have not. By presenting women in the experiment with various external stressors and analyzing the automatic reactions of heart rate, blood pressure, and the electrical potential of the skin, it was demonstrated that women who reported a history of rape had increased difficulty controlling their physiological and emotional reactions to stress. The results support the idea that women who have experienced rape may see and experience the world differently than women who have not. The findings of the study are discussed in terms of the overall implications the observed differences may have on the lives of women who have experienced rape and future directions for improved research and interventions, including assessment and treatment, for rape as a trauma type.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/102416 |
| Date | 30 August 2019 |
| Creators | DeVore, Benjamin Bradford |
| Contributors | Psychology, Harrison, David W., Clum, George A., Diana, Rachel A., Jones, Russell T. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document, application/pdf, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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