Mediators of Posttraumatic Mental Health in Sexual Assault Survivors

The development of posttraumatic growth (PTG) and the relationship between PTG and distress outcomes in sexual assault is an important area of investigation. Recent research suggests that some forms of cognitive processing might be critical in the development, maintenance, and resolution of posttraumatic mental health among sexual assault survivors. The objective of this study was to examine factors associated with posttraumatic mental health among sexual assault survivors. Seventy-three participants who experienced sexual assault completed measures of trauma symptoms, PTG, changes in outlook, cognitive processing, and support and coping. Results revealed that significant levels of posttraumatic symptomatology and low levels of PTG were reported 3 years following sexual assault. A weak relationship was found between symptoms of distress and growth. Contrary to predictions, only ratings of hope and brooding rumination were mediators of the relationship between posttraumatic symptoms and PTG. Reflective rumination was not related to the development of PTG.     

A Comparison of Sexual Aggression Risk Factors Between the United States and the Philippines

Sexual violence against women is a global problem, prompting the need to investigate the risk factors among males in non-Western, non-industrialized countries. Using the expanded Confluence Model, this study examined and compared risk factors of sexual aggression between male college students in the Philippines and the United States. Using path analysis and multiple group analysis, results indicated that the expanded Confluence Model was generally invariant between countries. Direct paths from hostile attitudes toward women and impersonal sex to sexual aggression were non-significant, but indirect effects from hostile attitudes toward women, alcohol consumption, and impersonal sex to sexual aggression via the frequency of misperceiving a woman’s sexual intent were observed. Additional risk analysis indicated that the number of elevated risk factors were associated with higher self-reports of sexual aggression.     

The Media’s Sexual Objectification of Women,Rape Myth Acceptance,and Interpersonal Violence

A new trend has emerged in print advertisements by which women’s bodies are literally morphed into objects. This study begins to explore this phenomenon by examining the effects of viewing these types of advertisements on attitudes toward rape and violence, as well as rape likelihood. In addition, this study examined the degree to which moral disengagement and dehumanization influences rape likelihood through rape myth acceptance. Three hundred eighty participants viewed 1 of 3 conditions—control, sexual objectification of women, or women as objects—and then filled out a number of questionnaires to assess their rape myth acceptance, acceptance of interpersonal violence, rape likelihood, and moral disengagement. Results indicated that although viewing sexually objectified women in advertising did not increase any of the dependent variables for individuals in the experimental conditions compared to the control condition, there was a main effect of sex for several dependent measures, as well as a full mediation of moral disengagement and rape likelihood by rape myth acceptance in male participants. These findings suggest that education aimed at correcting men’s endorsement of rape myths might be a key pathway to decreasing rape likelihood. Despite these conclusions, this study’s primary limitation was that it was conducted with collegiate participants with an unequal gender distribution.     

African American and White Women’s Experience of Sexual Assault and Services for Sexual Assault

This article presents the results of a study assessing the needs and experiences of African American and White female survivors of sexual assault in the state of Maryland. Eight specific hypotheses regarding differences in the needs and experiences of African American as compared to White women receiving partial or no support through analyses of interview data drawn from 213 survivors (African American survivors, n = 133; White survivors, n = 80) were explored. No differences were reported in medical care received; however, in comparison to their White counterparts, African American women reported decreased use of sexual assault crisis centers and mental health services, and postassault help-seeking through use of sexual assault hotlines. Barriers and facilitators associated with treatment experiences differed by ethnicity. Findings are discussed in relation to future directions for research, and service and policy improvement for survivors of sexual assault.     

Women’s Reporting of Physical Assaults to Police in a National Sample: A Brief Report

Research examining reporting decisions of women physically assaulted by any type of perpetrator is scarce. This study used data from the National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS) to examine how victim characteristics, assault characteristics, emotions during the assault, and postassault disclosure to informal social support sources affect victim and third-party reporting decisions in physical assault incidents. Results showed that victim education, race and ethnicity, victim–offender relationship, crime severity, perceived life threat, and disclosure to informal social support sources were related to victim reporting, whereas victim employment and marital status were associated with third-party reporting.     

Women’s physical attractiveness and short-term mating strategies

The current study examined the relationship between women’s physical attractiveness – as rated by themselves and a set of third-party raters – and their mating strategy and sexual experience. Male (N = 105) and female (N = 113) undergraduates rated the attractiveness of face and body photographs of 93 female undergraduates. Attractiveness ratings – particularly bodily attractiveness ratings – were significantly related to women’s mating psychology and behavior. More attractive women reported more sexual experience and a less restricted sociosexual orientation. In addition, some traits better predicted women’s perception of their overall attractiveness, and this pattern was further linked to mating strategy: more sociosexually unrestricted women showed a stronger relationship between bodily traits (i.e., body mass index) and overall attractiveness than less sociosexually unrestricted women. Discussion focuses on the findings that a woman’s mating strategy is linked to both her self-perceived and objective measures of attractiveness, particularly bodily attractiveness.     

Transmission risk behaviors in a subset of HIV-positive individuals: The role of narcissistic personality features

Most people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) take steps to protect their sexual partners. However, a minority of PLWHA continue to engage in sexual risk behaviors that might contribute to the transmission of HIV. Psychiatric conditions, including certain pathological traits, are associated with sexual risk behaviors. Research examining the association between narcissistic traits as they relate to HIV transmission risk is limited. In the present study, 303 PLWHA were recruited from an infectious disease clinic and completed questionnaires assessing narcissistic characteristics, substance use, sexual risk behavior, and intentions to use condoms in the future. Narcissistic traits predicted unprotected sex with partners who are HIV-negative or whose HIV status was unknown as well as lower intentions to use condoms, after controlling for demographic factors and substance use. Interventions focused on reducing the transmission of HIV should take into account associations between sexual risk behavior and narcissism.     

Client Aggression Towards Therapists: Is It More or Less Likely with Transgendered Clients?

ABSTRACT

It is well known that clients occasionally threaten or assault their therapists. No studies to date have attempted to systematically measure client aggression by transgender patients towards clinicians. One of the major questions of this study was to determine if clients with gender dysphoria have greater levels of aggression towards therapists than non-gender dysphoric clients. One hundred and fourteen professional therapists who are members of the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association responded to a questionnaire that addressed aggression by both transgender and non-transgender clients. Transgender clients were shown to commit significantly less acts of aggression than did non-transgendered clients (p = 0.0094). Within the relatively small subgroup of transgender clients that did commit acts of aggression, male-to-female transgender clients were significantly more likely to do so than female-to-male clients (p = 0.002). While the transgendered client undergoes significant suffering in violating inviolable gender boundaries, this suffering, in general, does not translate into acting out behaviors directed towards their therapists.     

In the face of dominance: Self-perceived and other-perceived dominance are positively associated with facial-width-to-height ratio in men

In recent research, facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) has garnered considerable attention because it has been linked with different behavioural characteristics (e.g., achievement drive, deception, aggression). Here we examined whether other-perceptions and self-perceptions of dominance are related to fWHR. In study 1, we found that other-perceived dominance was positively associated with fWHR, but only in men. In studies 2 and 3, using two different self-perceived dominance scales, and two different samples of participants, we found that fWHR was positively related to self-perceived dominance, again only in men. There was no relationship between fWHR and self-perceived prestige scores. Consistent with previous work, we also found that there was no sexual dimorphism in fWHR across all three studies. Together these results suggest that fWHR may be a reliable cue to dominant social behaviour in men.