Sexual Abuse & Sexual Assault

1. Sexual Abuse & Sexual Assault

2. Definition • types of sexual behavior • age

3. Characteristics • Prevalence • Depends on how abuse is defined • Women: 6-33% • Men: 5-10% • Ethnicity

4. Long-Term Consequences • Affects vary • age • severity • frequency • relationship to perpetrator • number of perpetrators • symptoms: • inappropriate sexual knowledge • sexually aggressive behavior • sex play with other children

5. Long-Term Consequences • depression • anxiety • substance abuse • dissociation • sexual dysfunction • revictimization • risk of HIV, STD

6. Intimacy/Sexuality • Incident of abuse often first sexual experience • given confusing messages by perpetrator • confusing/conflicting emotions

7. Physiology • Disregulation of stress system • increased cortisol • decreased testosterone • increased sexual behaviors • early onset of puberty • Physical consequences • injury • infection • STD

8. Learning • sexual decision making • sexual behaviors inappropriate • risk taking

9. High Risk Behavior • Sexually • less likely to use contraceptives • pregnancy • STD • prostitution • Substance use/abuse

10. Consensual Sex • To regain: • self-esteem • attention • power • control • Unable to resist request

11. Pregnancy • Stress • depression • substance abuse • low birth weight babies

12. Family Background • Dysfunctional/disrupted family • Multiple types of abuse • sexual • physical • psychological

13. Revictimization • History of childhood CSA - likelihood of adult abuse/assault • High risk behavior • Impaired social skills • Personality characteristics • Stronger reaction to adult abuse • More trouble: • communicating with partner • emotional attachment • sexual problems (desire, arousal, orgasm) • anxiety and guilt about sex • Degree of dysfunction correlated with degree of abuse

14. Male Victims • New area of research • Sex differences in type of abuse • Female: fondling, incest • Male: penetrative acts, oral sex • Long-term consequences: • alcohol and drugs • aggressive behavior • criminal problems • suicidal thoughts/attempts

15. Male Victims • Impact on sexuality • sexual acting out • sexual identity confusion • STDs • dangerous sexual behaviors - e.g., auto-erotic asphyxiation • sexual functioning: • low libido • premature ejaculation • erectile failure • inability to ejaculate

16. Male Victims: Sexual Orientation • male CSA victims more likely to be homosexual • gender identity confusion • homophobia

17. Male Victims:Reporting Sexual Abuse • Men less likely than women, especially if abuse committed by a woman • Worries about: • shame • helplessness • emasculation • fear of being labeled homosexual • Interpreting the event as favorable, harmless

18. Male Victims: Mental Health • Mental health system vs. criminal justice system • defining masculinity • aggressive behavior • Problems undetected • depression • anxiety • Fears of the abused become the abuser myth

19. Male Victims • Does age-discrepant sexual relations always cause harm? • 26/129 college men (Rind, 2001) • incident occurred between 12-17 yrs • outcome generally positive: • well-adjusted • good self-esteem • positive sexual identity

20. Survivors as Perpetrators • Perpetration vs. age appropriate exploration • coercion • threats, force, domination • inappropriate sexual behavior • significant discrepancy in: • age • discrepancy in size • status • Primarily Male • Female perpetrators • 100% history of CSA • associated with severe abuse

21. Survivors as Perpetrators • Reacting to earlier trauma • Attempting to master earlier trauma - identifying with perpetrator

22. Rape Myths • Real rapes are only committed by strangers. • Women who are raped are just asking for trouble. • Unless a weapon is used it isn't rape. • If he bought dinner she "owes" him sex. • If a woman doesn't fight against her attack it isn't really rape. • Husbands can't rape their wives. It's her duty. • Women cry rape because they had sex and changed their minds. • If it is really rape then the victim will report it immediately. • She really wanted to have sex so it was ok to get rough. • Rape only happens to women. • Rape only happens to women who are on the streets late at night. • I don't know anyone who's ever been raped.

23. Rape • Stranger rape • Date rape & Acquaintance rape • Marital rape • Male rape

24. Incidence & Prevalence • CDC: National Violence Against Women Survey (2000) • completed/attempted rape: • 17.6% women (14.8 completed, 2.8 attempted only) • 21.6 % younger than 12 • 32.4 % aged 12-17 • 3% men (2.1 completed, .9 attempted only) • last 12 months: • .3% women, 2.9 rapes • .1% men, 1.2 rapes • race • prior victimization • intimate partner violence

25. Rape: Long-Term Consequences • physical injury • STDs • long-term psychological consequences • disordered eating • sleep problems • depression • problems establishing trust in relationships • PTSD

26. PTSD • Following exposure to an extreme trauma for one month or more... • persistent re-experiencing of trauma • persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with trauma ornumbing • persistent increased arousal

27. Date & Acquaintance Rape • Acquaintance rape: nonconsensual sex between two individuals who know one another • Date rape: nonconsensual sex occurs between two people who are in a romantic relationship • Prevalence • 89.7% rapes by someone known • lowest among college students, highest among homeless • Perpetrators • 26% college men attempted • 15% had forced intercourse (Rickert & Weimann, 1998)

28. Date & Acquaintance Rape • Risk Factors: • attitudes towards sexual assault • age of victim • drug use • prior victimization • contextual factors

29. Marital Rape • History - • Rape: "sexual intercourse with a female not his wife without her consent" • Sir Matthew Hale, Chief Justice in 17th century England • "The husband cannot be guilty of a rape committed by himself upon his lawful wife, for by their mutual matrimonial consent and contract, the wife hath given herself in kind unto the husband which she cannot retract" (quoted in Russell, 1990 , p.17). • 1970s: challenged by women’s rights movement • July 5, 1993 - marital rape a crime in all 50 states

30. Marital Rape • Prevalence • women: 7.7 % • men: 0.3% • Age • Financial independence • Domestic violence • Risk factors: • pregnancy • illness • attempting to leave partner • drug and alcohol abuse by perpetrator • previous experience of abuse

31. Marital Rape • Effects • physical injury • STDs • long-term psychological consequences • disordered eating • sleep problems • depression • problems establishing trust in relationships • PTSD

32. Rape and Evolutionary Theory • A Natural History of Rape: Biological Bases of Sexual Coercion, Thornhill & Palmer • rape motivated, in part, by sexual desire • rape is a by-product of another adaptation and/or rape is an adaptive reproductive strategy • women should take this into consideration when making decisions about clothing, appearance, social behavior

33. Motivation for Rape • Sex or Power • Gender differences (Anderson & Swainson, 2001) • women: power • men: sex and power

34. Resources • Safe Place: Crisis Services- 24-hour phone support; call 267-SAFE; TTY: 927-9616 • emergency shelter • counseling services • hospital support and resources for rape, sexual abuse/assault and domestic violence victims • UT Telephone Counseling: 24-hour phone support, call 471-CALL; TDD 471-3399