Occupational Preferences of People Who Have Experienced Sexual Assault

This study explored how individuals who have experienced sexual assault engage in occupations that require touch. Fifty-seven participants who reported a history of sexual assault and 347 participants who did not report such a history responded to a pilot instrument which was created to analyze college students’ engagement in occupations. Results were categorized into indices to isolate different types of touch. Results suggest that there is a statistically significant difference in the way these two groups go about their daily routines of engaging in occupations, particularly those that involve passive, unexpected, social, and light touch.