Week 5: Discussion, Summary & Reflection

Defining Rape  Multiple definitions  May be a discrepancy between the legal definition

and common definition  Definition used by this textbook-an unwanted act of

oral, vaginal, or anal penetration committed though the use of force, threat of force, or when incapacitated

Benchmark Study: National Violence Against Women Survey (National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control, 1998)  1 in 6 (17%) women and 1 in 33 (3%) men have

experienced an attempted or completed rape (in the United States)

Underreporting  Other studies report 15-33% of women and 10-15% of

men experienced an attempted or completed rape (in the United States)  3 out of 5 sexual assault victims stated the offender

was an intimate, relative, friend, or acquaintance which leads to underreporting  Sexual abuse of children under the age of 12 is rarely

reported The Unique Situation of Sexual

Abuse/Rape Survivors  Crises resulting from sexual abuse and rape differ in

nature, intensity, and extent from other forms of crisis

Social/Cultural Factors  Four different factors:

 Gender inequality  Pornography  Social disorganization  Legitimization of violence

 Historically, the crime of rape has been seen as:  A crime against the woman’s father or her husband  Psychosocial means by which the victors in wars reward

themselves and humiliate their opponents

 Personal and Psychological Factors of Rapists  Acts hostile but often feels weak  Lacks interpersonal skills  May need to exercise power  May show sadistic patters  Sees women as sexual objects  Holds stereotypical and rigid views of males and females  Harbors chronic feelings of anger toward women and seeks to

control them

 Rape as an exercise in power and control  Four categories of rapists:

 Anger  Power exploitative  Power reassurance  Sadistic

 Rape is just rough sex.  Equating rape and sex is perhaps the most

destructive myth of all.  Women “cry rape” to gain revenge.

 People do not want to believe that rape really occurs  Serves to focus the blame for sexual violence on

victims rather than perpetrators  Easier to believe than knowing rape can happen

to anyone  Rape is motivated by lust.  Rapists are psychotic or weird.  Survivors of rape provoked the rape.  Only bad women are raped.

 Rape happens only in bad parts of town, at night, or by strangers with weapons.

 If the woman does not resist, she must have wanted it.

 Males cannot be victims.  Homosexuals are usually the perpetrators of

sexual abuse of boys.  Boys are less traumatized than girls.  Boys abused by males will later become

homosexual or rapists.  If a person experiences sexual arousal, this

means it is not rape.  A female can not rape a male.

Date Rape Risk  Child sexual abuse is a risk factor for both

heightened sexual activity and sexual victimization in dating.  Alcohol and drug use (by both the survivor and the

perpetrator) is a risk factor for acquaintance rape.

Preventing Date, Acquaintance, and Other Forms of Rape  Educational programs, especially at the secondary

school level, have been recommended as preventive measures in reducing acquaintance rape.  Results show changes are only short-term.

Empathy Build a Working Alliance Use Support Systems Stop Secondary Victimization

 Police, medical professionals, significant others Responses

 May exhibit no emotions  May feel humiliated  May suffer immediate and long-term trauma  May blame themselves  May be reluctant to go to the police or rape crisis

center

Critical Needs  Continuing medical treatment  Support system (family, friends, work, etc.)  Understanding without pressure regarding further

sexual contact Critical Supports

 Understanding mood swings  Ensuring safety without overprotection  Allowing the victim to make decisions regarding

reporting the rape  Allowing the victim to talk about the trauma without

disclosing the information to others  Recognize that loved ones also exhibit issues

 PTSD • Rape ranks second in the potential for

PTSD • EMDR as a first option for treatment • Cognitive-behavioral treatment

• Exposure treatment • Affect regulation • Cognitive therapy

 Psychological Trauma and Sequelae  Effects on Adult Survivors  Higher incidence of:

 Depression and anxiety  Borderline personality disorder and Dissociative disorder  PTSD  Social stigmatization and alienation  Somatic complaints  Negative self-image

 Revictimization  Early assault is additive

 False Memories  Controversial topic  False Memory Syndrome Foundation  “Recovered memory” survey

 Assessment  Can be difficult to assess and diagnose due to multiple ways

it may manifest  Treatment of Adults

 Treat in a similar way to PTSD  Grounding

 Have the client focus on the therapist and the “here and now”  Ask the client to describe current INTERNAL experiences  Orient the client to the current environment  Use relaxation techniques

 Validation  Validate that the trauma did occur even if it is denied by the

client’s family  Advocate for the client  Reinforce the resourcefulness of the client  Be a role model to help the client with childhood

developmental tasks

Extinguishing Trauma  The reduction or termination of a conditioned response as

a result of the absence of the reinforcement

Prolonged Exposure/Cognitive Restructuring  Reframing and relearning feelings

Grief Resolution  Confrontation  Changing behavior through skill building and

reconnecting

Support Groups for Adult Survivors

Dynamics of Sexual Abuse in Childhood Dynamics of Sexual Abuse in Families

 Intergenerational transmission of sexual abuse  Female abusers

Phases of Child Sexual Abuse  Engagement Phase  Sexual Interaction Phase  Secrecy Phase  Disclosure Phase  Suppression Phase  Survival Phase

Assessment Therapeutic Options

 Play Therapy  Cognitive-behavioral Therapy  Trauma Systems approach

Affirmation and Safety Regaining a Sense of Control Education Assertiveness Training

 Interviewing the Child  Ensure safety  Collect appropriate evidence  Carl Perkins model

Preparing the Child for Testimony  Education on the process  Role play possible situations  Orientation of the courtroom

Aftermath  Counseling  Placement of the child

Group Counseling Boundary Issues Group Support Work With Non-offending

Parents Preventing Re-victimization  Individual Counseling

 Session 1: Establishing safe ground  Session 2: Introducing traumatic material  Crisis session  Last sessions: Transcending