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Examining the Potential Role of Shame, Empowerment, and institutional Courage in the Relationship between Sexual Assault and both Post Traumatic Stress and Post Traumatic Growth

Wolfe, Ginelle
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8063-8658
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1689343603471504

Abstract Details

2023, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, Counseling Psychology.
Sexual assault, a form of gender-based violence, exists in a patriarchal culture upheld by harmful beliefs and actions, such as rape myths, victim blaming, and violence (Liss et al., 2019). Sexual assault remains a pervasive issue on college campuses (Cantor et al., 2015;Testa et al., 2010) and is also severely underreported (DeKeseredy, 2021). College women who experience sexual assault may be blamed, not taken seriously, or even prosecuted. Experiences of sexual assault have been tied to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Arata & Burkhart, 1996; Burgess & Holmstrom) as well as growth (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004). One goal of this study was to better understand the mechanisms that underlie the development of PTSD symptoms and PTG in college women who have experienced sexual victimization. Another goal of this study was to examine the potential buffering roles of personal empowerment and institutional courage in this process. The current study tested conditional mediation models examining experiences of sexual assault as the predictor, PTSD and PTG as the outcomes, post traumatic cognitions and shame as the mediators, and personal empowerment and institutional as moderators in the relationship between shame and both psychological outcomes. A total of 212 college women participated in the current study. Results indicated several significant bivariate correlations: experiences of sexual victimization was significantly and positively related to post traumatic cognitions, shame, PTSD symptomology, and PTG. Post traumatic cognitions were positively related to shame, and shame was positively related to PTSD symptomology. PTG was not significantly related to post traumatic cognitions or trauma related shame. The final supported model using PTSD symptomology as an outcome was a serial mediation model: the relationship between sexual victimization and PTSD symptoms was partially explained by post traumatic cognitions and shame. The final supported model using PTG as an outcome included a serial mediation of experiences of sexual victimization on PTG through post traumatic cognitions and shame, personal empowerment moderating the relationship between shame and PTG; however, the conditional mediation was not significant. Implications are discussed for future research, therapeutic and systemic interventions, and theory in examining the impact of sexual victimization on college women.
Ingrid Weigold (Committee Chair)
Ronald Levant (Committee Member)
Robert Peralta (Committee Member)
John Queener (Committee Member)
Dawn Johnson (Committee Member)
181 p.
Psychology
College women; sexual assault; sexual victimization; post traumatic growth; post traumatic stress; ptsd; shame; trauma related cognitions

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Wolfe, G. (2023). Examining the Potential Role of Shame, Empowerment, and institutional Courage in the Relationship between Sexual Assault and both Post Traumatic Stress and Post Traumatic Growth [Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1689343603471504

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Wolfe, Ginelle. Examining the Potential Role of Shame, Empowerment, and institutional Courage in the Relationship between Sexual Assault and both Post Traumatic Stress and Post Traumatic Growth. 2023. University of Akron, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1689343603471504.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Wolfe, Ginelle. "Examining the Potential Role of Shame, Empowerment, and institutional Courage in the Relationship between Sexual Assault and both Post Traumatic Stress and Post Traumatic Growth." Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1689343603471504

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

akron1689343603471504
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© 2023, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Akron and OhioLINK.
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