My Dear Readers,
Apologies as it has been quite some time since my last post, I believe the fitting colloquial term would be ‘ghosting’, and while I no doubt have much to catch up on with my writing, a more pressing matter has my attention. To provide you with a bit of background, this past August I went back to school - yes indeed, back to the books, the late night studying, mid-term and final exams, papers and projects, and inevitably back to living the broke college life at 27.
I decided to pursue a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and as part of my intro class we were assigned an advocacy project; my topic of choice was without question rape and sexual assault. As part of my project, I chose to share my advocacy efforts, via this blog, with my faithful readers, so let’s dive in together and unmask the crisis of sexual violence that plagues not just the US, but the entire world.
Sexual assault is defined as “sexual contact or behavior that occurs without explicit consent of the victim” (RAINN, 2024). Some forms of sexual assault include sexual touching, forcing one to perform sexual acts, such as oral sex or penetrating to perpetrator’s body, penetration of one’s body, otherwise known as rape and attempted rape. I label sexual assault as a masked crisis due to the number of assaults that go unreported, largely due to the social reactions and victim blaming that survivors face. We will jump into that later on, but first, let's review some statistics around the numbers that do get reported.
More than 1 in 5 women in the US have experienced completed or attempted rape in their lifetime, and more than 1 in 3 have experienced sexual assault/sexual violence
81% nationwide reported some form of sexual assault or harassment
1 in 71 men will experience attempted or completed rape in their lifetime and 43% have reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment or assault
Ethnic minorities and the LGBTQ community are victimized at a higher rate
The rates of sexual assault are staggering and the impact this violence leaves is detrimental and heartbreaking. Sexual assault has been shown to significantly increase the risk of all forms of psychopathology in its survivors compared to other forms of trauma (Dworkin & Menon, 2017). The most prevalent form of psychopathology in survivors is PTSD, followed by suicidality, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse, however, it has also been associated with the development of bipolar disorder and OCD (Dowrkin & Menon, 2017).
17%-65% develop PTSD
13%-51% meet the criteria for depression
12%-40% develop anxiety
13%-49% develop alcohol use disorders
28%-61% develop drug use disorders
23%-44% experience suicidal ideation
2%-19% attempt suicide
Sadly, the trauma of the assault is not the end of a survivor's trauma. Survivors then face a decision to report or not report, to tell a friend or not tell a friend, and more frequently than not, disclosure of an assault leads to negative social reactions and victim blaming from others, causing greater risk for mental health concerns. In addition, the three social systems in place that are supposed to help survivors when they report an assault often prove to be unhelpful, and harmful and increase the risk of psychopathology. These three systems are the legal system, the medical system, and the mental health system.
43% to 52% of survivors who turn to the legal system describe their experience as hurtful and unhelpful as they are often subjected to humiliation and victim blaming by law enforcement (Campbell, 2008). Additionally, 56% to 82% of all reported cases are dropped by law enforcement, and of those passed on for consideration, 44% are dismissed by the prosecutors themselves (Campbell, 2008). The medical system often fails to provide adequate care as only 57% - 69% of sexual assault survivors are treated for STIs, only 40% - 49% of survivors receive information on the risk of pregnancy, and 21% - 43% of survivors who need emergency contraception receive it (Campbell, 2008). Furthermore, in a statewide study of mental health care aid for survivors, 58% of practitioners felt that practices mental health care practitioners engage in can be harmful to survivors and they question the level of benefit survivors receive from mental health care services. It is clear that our current systems are not serving sexual assault survivors adequately and change is necessary.
These findings are disheartening, to say the least, so let’s look at some things we can do to help. The best way to start is simply by raising awareness, which is my intention with the post, the louder we raise our voice, the more people will hear. Get involved in efforts to support survivors; stop victim blaming and start supporting. We can get involved in changing the laws and policies that are in place around crimes of sexual violence and the treatment of survivors; as is clear by my previous paragraph, there is no doubt a need for radical change in our social systems. Finally, become an advocate! Get in touch with your local rape/sexual assault crisis center and volunteer as an advocate for survivors.
As a survivor myself and a future counselor, my mission is to ensure I receive adequate and appropriate training to provide helpful and supportive care to fellow survivors and aid in their recovery. Together, we can make a difference.
Yours truly - AA
Resources for survivors
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
National Sexual Violence Resource Center: https://www.nsvrc.org/
San Antonio Rape Crisis Center: (210)349-7273
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988
References
Dworkin, E. R., Menon, S. V., Bystrynski, J., & Allen, N. E. (2017). Sexual Assault Victimization and Psychopathology: A Review and Meta-Analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 56, 65-81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2017.06.002
Ullman, S. E., & Peter-Hagene, L. (2014). Social Reactions to Sexual Assault Disclosure, Coping, Perceived Control, and PTSD Symptoms in Sexual Assault Victims. Journal of Community Psychology, 42(4), 495-508. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21624
(n.d.). What is Sexual Assault? RAINN. Retrieved November 16, 2024, from https://rainn.org/articles/sexual-assault#:~:text=The%20term%20sexual%20assault%20refers,or%20penetrating%20the%20perpetrator's%20body
Citizens, P. (2024). Palmetto Citizens Against Sexual Assault and Children's Advocacy Center [Photograph]. https://palmettocasa.org/
West, J. (2024). Mental Health Awareness [Photograph]. https://www.totallifecounseling.com/national-disability-awareness/
Friends, N. (2020). Misogyny is Everywhere: Sexual Assault Awareness Month [Photograph]. https://www.neighboursfriendsandfamilies.ca/blogs/2020/misogyny_is_everywhere_sexual_assault_awareness_month.html
Kommentare