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Many studies focusing on childhood sexual abuse (CSA) may have neglected the consequences related to experiencing other types of childhood maltreatment, such as psychological maltreatment. Moreover, the literature has focused more on negative consequences related to CSA, hence potentially leaving out more adaptive and resilient trajectories. This qualitative study aimed to explore childhood psychological maltreatment and CSA, mindfulness, sexuality, and intimate relationships in adult survivors. The interview data from 19 individuals who experienced CSA and psychological maltreatment were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Four conceptual categories developed: (a) an unsafe family environment that hindered the development of positive experiences and relationships; (b) impaired mindfulness dispositions: the reliving of trauma, the avoidance of suffering, and feeling engulfed; (c) impaired intimacy: instability, codependence, emotional distance, and self-silencing; and (d) mindfulness dispositions and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in participants' intimate lives. These findings highlight that mindfulness, sexuality, and intimate relationships are often poor among survivors of psychological maltreatment and CSA. Yet opportunities to develop mindfulness dispositions appear to enhance PTG in survivors' intimate relationships, significantly contributing to survivors' healing processes. KEYWORDS: Childhood maltreatment, intimate relationships, mindfulness, posttraumatic growth, sexuality, Research on childhood maltreatment, defined as the exposure to negative interpersonal events occurring during childhood by parental or other significant adult figures (e.g., childhood sexual abuse [CSA], psychological abuse, and [...]

Survival sex is the exchange of sex for material goods required for survival (i.e., shelter, food, drugs). Because this exchange occurs under conditions of deprivation, there is a power imbalance that limits the ability to freely consent to sex or to exercise sexual agency. This review aimed to examine the consent and sexual agency implications of survival sex and to identify which factors push people into greater levels of deprivation and vulnerability to engage in survival sex. We searched six databases and included 21 articles that discussed the sexual consent or sexual agency implications of survival sex and synthesized the study findings via qualitative analysis. We identified three themes as they relate to the consent or sexual agency implications of survival sex--power, coercion, and sexual agency--and five themes we called push factors into greater vulnerability to survival sex--hunger, patriarchy, poverty, substance use, and insecure housing. Each factor has the effect of limiting peoples capacity to consent to sex by creating a coercive environment that limits their power to exercise sexual agency. We found that women are at particular risk to be coerced into survival sex by other people or circumstances of deprivation. Our findings suggest that survival sex is often nonconsensual sex. In contrast to traditional approaches that consider survival sex a risk factor for sexual health, we discuss policy and advocacy efforts and apply a human rights perspective that considers how survival sex is a violation of personhood and autonomy. KEYWORDS: Sexual agency, sexual consent, scoping review, survival sex, transactional sex, Survival sex is commonly defined as the exchange of sex for material goods required for survival (i.e., shelter, food, drugs) and, therefore, is often studied among populations experiencing material deprivation [...]

This article reports on the findings of a systematic review of literature on pornography use and sexual consent published between January 2000 and December 2017. The review found that there [...]

Sexual activity typically follows an implicit sexual script or a normative sequence of behaviours that are involved in a sexual interaction. It is unclear whether or how affirmative sexual consent [...]

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2008.01476.x Byline: Courtney E. Ahrens (1), Giannina Cabral (2), Samantha Abeling (3) Abstract: Sexual assault survivors often receive both positive and negative reactions to the disclosure of their assault. Although positive reactions are typically more common from informal support providers and negative reactions are typically more common from formal support providers, not all formal and informal support providers react the same way. To help clarify the nature of social reactions received from specific support providers, 103 female sexual assault survivors participated in interviews about their disclosure experiences. These interviews resulted in detailed descriptions of 250 disclosure interactions. Results indicated that counselors and friends engaged in the most emotional support, fairly high levels of tangible aid, and fairly low levels of most types of negative reactions. Romantic partners provided only moderate support, the lowest amount of tangible aid, and the highest amount of blame, control, and egocentric behaviors. Romantic partners also treated survivors differently more often than other support providers. Qualitative analysis of survivors' descriptions of these reactions are used to help interpret survivors' ratings of reactions as healing or hurtful. Author Affiliation: (1)California State University at Long Beach (2)Michigan State University (3)California State University at Long Beach Article History: Initial submission: January 30, 2007Initial acceptance: September 15, 2008Final acceptance: October 24, 2008 Article note: Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Courtney Ahrens, Department of Psychology, California State University at Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90840. E-mail: cahrens@csulb.edu

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2008.01473.x Byline: Cynthia J. Najdowski (1), Sarah E. Ullman (1) Abstract: Prior research has demonstrated that self-blame is predictive of more posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and poorer recovery (Frazier, 2003; Koss, Figueredo, & Prince, 2002), and perceived control over recovery is associated with less distress (Frazier, 2003) in adult sexual assault (ASA) survivors. A structural equation model was tested to examine the role of traumatic events, self-blame, perceived control over recovery, and coping strategies on PTSD symptoms and self-rated recovery in women ASA survivors. Adaptive coping partially mediated the effects of other traumas, self-blame, and perceived control over recovery on PTSD symptoms and showed a small positive association with increased PTSD symptoms. As hypothesized, maladaptive coping partially mediated the effects of other traumas, self-blame, and perceived control over recovery on both PTSD symptoms and self-rated recovery; greater maladaptive coping was associated with increased PTSD symptoms and lower self-rated recovery. Implications and directions for future research are discussed. Author Affiliation: (1)University of Illinois at Chicago Article History: Initial submission: January 7, 2008Initial acceptance: July 14, 2008Final acceptance: July 14, 2008 Article note: Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Sarah E. Ullman, University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Criminology, Law, and Justice, 1007 West Harrison Street, M/C 141, Chicago, IL 60607. E-mail: seullman@uic.edu

Recently introduced theories of sex offending, including the self-regulation model and the multimodal self-regulation theory, have implicated self-regulatory deficits as a key variable in the development of sexually inappropriate interests and behaviors. While dysregulation has been considered an important component of a variety of behavioral, emotional, and interpersonal disorders, sexual behaviors have rarely been conceptualized within this context. In this study, we have examined a number of variables linked to self-regulation and dysfunctional outcomes in a sample of 95 sex-offending men. Results of a path analysis demonstrated that self-regulatory deficits were significantly predictive of paraphilic and antisocial behaviors in this group. Implications for our understanding of the etiology of sexual deviance and future research in this area are discussed. Keywords: sex offenders; multimodal self-regulation theory; self-regulation model; etiology of sex offending

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2007.05.007 Byline: Kelly C. Allison (a), Carlos M. Grilo (b), Robin M. Masheb (b), Albert J. Stunkard (a) Keywords: Obesity; Binge eating; Night eating; Childhood maltreatment; Abuse; Depression Abstract: This study compared rates of self-reported childhood maltreatment in three groups diagnosed using semi-structured interviews: binge eating disorder (BED; n=176), night eating syndrome (NES, n=57), and overweight/obese comparison (OC, n=38). We used the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) to assess childhood maltreatment and the Beck Depression Inventory-II to assess depression levels. Reports of maltreatment were common in patients with BED (82%), NES (79%), and OC (71%). The BED group reported significantly more forms of maltreatment above clinical cut-points (2.4) than the OC (1.4) group but not the NES (1.8) group. The BED and NES groups reported more emotional abuse than the OC group. A higher proportion of the BED group reported emotional neglect and a higher proportion of the NES group reported physical neglect. Depression levels, which were higher in BED and NES than OC, were associated with higher levels of physical and emotional abuse and neglect. In conclusion, reported rates of physical and sexual abuse differed little across groups, whereas reports of neglect and emotional abuse were higher in the BED and NES groups than in the OC group and were associated with elevated depression levels. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Psychiatry, Weight and Eating Disorders Program, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 3535 Market Street, Suite 3021, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3309, USA (b) Department of Psychiatry, Yale Psychiatric Research, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA Article History: Received 17 November 2006; Revised 17 May 2007; Accepted 22 May 2007

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2007.00384.x Byline: Susan A. Stoner (1), Jeanette Norris (1), William H. George (1), Kelly Cue Davis (1), N. Tatiana Masters (1), Danielle M. Hessler (1) Abstract: This study used an experimental paradigm to investigate the role of secondary cognitive appraisals in women's sexual assault resistance and whether these appraisals mediated influences of alcohol and prior victimization. After consuming a beverage (control, placebo, moderate, or high dose), 351 women projected themselves into a simulated interaction with a sexually aggressive man. Four types of secondary appraisals (shock at the man's behavior, concern about his feelings, uncertainty in the situation, conflict about what to do) and three resistance strategies (assertive, polite, passive) were examined. Path modeling revealed that, as expected, intoxication and prior sexual victimization influenced secondary appraisals, which in turn influenced intended resistance. Prior adult sexual assault (ASA) and childhood sexual abuse (CSA) also had direct effects: ASA negatively predicted assertive resistance and CSA positively predicted passivity. Findings suggest that secondary appraisals are key targets for intervention to facilitate effective resistance, thereby reducing the risk of adult sexual victimization. Author Affiliation: (1)University of Washington Article History: Initial submission: October 27, 2006Initial acceptance: March 2, 2007Final acceptance: March 21, 2007 Article note: Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Susan Stoner, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, University of Washington, 1107 NE 45th St., Ste. 120, Seattle, WA 98105. E-mail: sastoner@u.washington.edu

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2007.00383.x Byline: Jennifer A. Livingston (1), Amy Hequembourg (1), Maria Testa (1), Carol VanZile-Tamsen (1) Abstract: This study explored females' adolescent experiences with sexual aggression using event-level data. A community sample of women, ages 18 to 30 years (N= 319), were interviewed regarding their most recent unwanted sexual experience. Incidents were categorized as occurring during adolescence (ages 14 to 17) or adulthood (after age 18). Preliminary statistical comparison of adolescent and adult incidents revealed differences in perpetrators, type of aggression, preceding activities, and location of assault. Qualitative analytic techniques were then used to identify the contexts in which adolescent victimization occurred, as well as the factors contributing to adolescent vulnerability. Four contexts in which adolescents were sexually victimized emerged: Within Intimate Relationships, At Parties/Social Gatherings, Abuse by Authority Figures, and While Alone With a Friend. Thematic analysis revealed that inexperience with sex and dating, lack of guardianship, substance use, social and relationship concerns, and powerlessness contributed to adolescent vulnerability within these contexts. Author Affiliation: (1)University at Buffalo, State University of New York Article History: Initial submission: April 26, 2006Initial acceptance: March 8, 2007Final acceptance: March 18, 2007 Article note: Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Jennifer Livingston, Research Institute on Addictions, 1021 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203. E-mail: livingst@ria.buffalo.edu

The characteristic features of adolescents' sexual scripts were explored in 400 tenth and eleventh graders from Berlin, Germany. Participants rated the prototypical elements of three scripts for heterosexual interactions: (1) the prototypical script for the first consensual sexual intercourse with a new partner as pertaining to adolescents in general (general script); (2) the prototypical script for the first consensual sexual intercourse with a new partner as pertaining to themselves personally (individual script); and (3) the script for a nonconsensual sexual intercourse (rape script). Compared with the general script for the age group as a whole, the individual script contained fewer risk elements related to sexual aggression and portrayed more positive consequences of the sexual interaction. Few gender differences were found, and coital experience did not affect sexual scripts. The rape script was found to be close to the 'real rape stereotype.' The findings are discussed with respect to the role of sexual scripts as guidelines for behavior, particularly in terms of their significance for the prediction of sexual aggression., In social cognition research, cognitive scripts are characterized as schematic knowledge structures about 'appropriate sequences of events in a particular context' (Schank & Abelson, 1977, p. 41). Scripts facilitate the [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2006.05.006 Byline: Sari D. Gold, Brian P. Marx, Jennifer M. Lexington Keywords: Experiential avoidance; Gay; Internalized homophobia; Sexual assault; Posttraumatic stress; Depression Abstract: This study explored the relations among internalized homophobia (IH), experiential avoidance, and psychological symptom severity in a community sample of 74 gay male sexual assault survivors. Results indicated that IH is associated with both depressive and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity. IH accounted for more variance than assault severity in predicting both PTSD and depression symptom severity. IH and experiential avoidance similarly predicted PTSD symptom severity. In comparison with IH, however, experiential avoidance is a stronger predictor of depression symptom severity. Results also showed that experiential avoidance partially mediated the relation between IH and both depressive and PTSD symptom severity. The implications of these findings are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided. Author Affiliation: Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, Philadelphia PA 19122, USA Article History: Received 25 January 2006; Revised 2 May 2006; Accepted 9 May 2006

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2007.00172.x Byline: Heather L. Littleton (a2), Karyn Tiedeman Magee (b), Danny Axsom (b) Abstract: Victim self-attributions (e.g., that one caused an event or was responsible for its occurrence) have been discussed frequently in the trauma literature. However, little empirical work has sought to test the extant theoretical models conceptualizing why self-attributions occur. We investigated by meta-analysis the prevalence and predictors of self-attributions following 3 traumatic events-sexual victimization, illness, and severe injury-in an attempt to identify predictors of self-attributions and to examine extant theoretical models. The results supported that self-attribution is not the modal response to trauma. In addition, partial support was found for the extant theoretical models, but no one model could explain the entire pattern of findings. Implications of these results for future empirical and theoretical work are discussed. Author Affiliation: (a)Sam Houston State University (b)Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Article note: (2) Heather Littleton, Department of Psychology, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77341-2447. E-mail: littleton@shsu.edu

Although partner sexual abuse is clearly an important dimension of partner violence, it has received less research attention than partner physical and psychological abuse. This article contributes to the literature by examining similarities and differences in coercive and degrading sexual tactics experienced by women who do (n = 31) and women who do not (n = 31) report forced sex using quantitative and qualitative data. The women in the sample had all been recently (within the past 6 months) stalked by a violent intimate partner. Results suggest that both women who do and women who do not report forced sex experience various coercive and degrading tactics within the context of sexual activity. Results also suggest that multiple sexual abuse dimensions should be considered within the context of partner psychological abuse, physical abuse, and stalking and that more research on understanding the outcomes associated with dimensions of sexual abuse within the context of physical and psychological abuse is needed. Keywords: sexual assault; partner violence; women's health; sexual coercion

While sexual victimization continues to be a problem on college campuses, recent attention has been drawn to understanding gender differences in victimization rates and consequences. To date, these studies remain relatively few in number. The current study surveyed 651 male and female undergraduate students about unwanted sexual experiences during 1 academic year. Comparison of men and women revealed expected differences in incidence rates, with women reporting higher rates of unwanted contact. Within the subsample of reported victims, however, there was gender similarity in terms of the context of unwanted sexual experiences. Analyses also revealed the negative consequences of these experiences for both men and women and low rates of disclosure regardless of gender. Across the full sample of students surveyed, there were interesting gender differences in knowledge of campus support services, with women more likely to have attended a prevention program and to have indicated greater knowledge of rape crisis services. Keywords: unwanted sexual contact; campus; gender; college students

Research has shown that protective actions are often used by rape victims, and some actions, namely, forceful physical resistance, are more effective in preventing a completed rape than other types of actions, such as nonforceful verbal resistance. The research is less clear, however, on the extent to which women who are victims of nonrape sexual victimization use protective measures and on the effectiveness of these actions. There is also uncertainty on the nature of the relationship between different types of protective actions, contextual characteristics, and the likelihood of completion of nonrape sexual victimization incidents. To investigate these issues, we used data from a national-level study of 4,446 female college students. Our results indicate that the use of protective action varied across type of sexual victimization and that the effectiveness of these actions on reducing the risk of a completed act is differentially related to type of sexual victimization. The findings suggest the need for sexual victimization prevention and education programs to include information regarding the efficacy of protective actions in both rape and nonrape incidents. Keywords: resistance; rape; protective action; college women; sexual victimization

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2006.01.013 Byline: M. Zachary Rosenthal (a), Victoria M. Follette (b) Keywords: Sexual assault; Victimization; Intrusions; Suppression Abstract: Individuals with a history of sexual victimization often experience enduring intrusive thoughts associated with their assault history. Research suggests that the characteristic ways in which sexually assaulted individuals respond to aversive internal experiences (i.e., thoughts, emotions, etc.) can influence the psychological distress associated with these intrusions. This study investigated the effects of suppressing sexual assault-related intrusions in a sample of 61 female college students with a history of adolescent or adult sexual assault and recent assault-related intrusions. Participants were randomly assigned to suppress or monitor intrusions during a laboratory task and for 48h outside the laboratory. In contrast to study hypotheses, findings indicated that intrusion monitoring was associated with higher subjective distress than suppression both in the laboratory and in the natural environment. No differences were found for the frequency of intrusions between groups in the laboratory. However, modest evidence for a rebound effect in intrusion frequency was found outside the laboratory. Author Affiliation: (a) Duke University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 2213 Elba St., Box 3026, Durham, NC 27710, USA (b) University of Nevada, Reno Article History: Received 9 August 2005; Revised 22 January 2006; Accepted 26 January 2006

This study explores the associations of sexual revictimization (experiencing sexual abuse in childhood and adulthood) in a sample of 230 African American women who are low-income. Data indicate that women who experience sexual revictimization are more at risk for emotional stress and psychological pathology than women with no history of abuse. In addition, women who are revictimized appear to be at greater risk for emotional problems than women sexually abused only as a child or sexually assaulted only as adults. Revictimization also appears to be associated with an increased probability of engaging in prostitution, even higher than women with childhood- or adult-only victimization, who showed increased probability when compared to women never abused. Finally, women who are revictimized showed increased HIV risk, in that they were 4 times less likely than other women to consistently use condoms, but no more likely to be in monogamous relationships or less likely to have multiple partners. Keywords: sexual abuse; revictimization; sexuality; HIV risk; unsafe sex

To date, there has been little research examining HIV/STD risk among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals who are in abusive relationships. This article uses data collected from a community-based organization that provides counseling for LGBT victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). A total of 58 clients completed the survey, which inquired as to sexual violence and difficulties negotiating safer sex with their abusive partners. A large percentage of participants reported being forced by their partners to have sex (41%). Many stated that they felt unsafe to ask their abusive partners to use safer sex protection or that they feared their partners' response to safer sex (28%). In addition, many participants experienced sexual (19%), physical (21%), and/or verbal abuse (32%) as a direct consequence of asking their partner to use safer sex protection. Training counselors on issues of sexuality and safer sex will benefit victims of IPV. Keywords: intimate partner violence; domestic violence; sexual negotiation; safer sex; rape; sexual assault; LGBT; HIV/AIDS; STDs