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A Roadmap to Depression among Rape Victims: Rape-Related Shame, Rumination, Experiential Avoidance, and Revictimization

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: by Prachi Hemant Bhuptani More than half of women who experience rape develop depression in the aftermath of their rape experience.Previous research demonstrates the individual role of revictimization, assault-related shame, rumination, and experiential avoidance in depression among rape victims.However, research has largely overlooked the relation among these variables as factors contributing to depression among rape victims.A sample of 160 community women who had experienced adult rape completed self-report measures.The PROCESS macro was used to test a parallel mediation model and a moderated-mediation model.Results suggest that both experiential avoidance and raperelated rumination independently mediated the relation between rape-related shame and depressive symptoms.Results also suggest that experiential avoidance moderated the relation between rape-related rumination and depressive symptoms such that rape-related rumination was related to depressive symptoms at mean and higher levels of experiential avoidance.Findings suggest that the presence of experiential avoidance amplifies the negative impact of rape-related rumination on depressive symptoms, and that interventions focusing on rape-related shame and experiential avoidance tendencies may alleviate symptoms of depression in rape victims.Implications for future clinical intervention and research will be discussed. A Roadmap to Depression among Rape Victims: Rape-related Shame, Rumination, Experiential Avoidance and RevictimizationThe lifetime prevalence of rape among women in the United States is 19.3% (Breiding et al., 2015).Rape is a potentially traumatic event that can have devastating and lasting outcomes such as anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms, as well as greater perceived current stress and poor perceived health (Campbell, Dworkin, & Cabran, 2009;Zinzow et al., 2011).One of the commonly reported post-rape outcomes is depression.In a recent review of sexual assault and women's mental health outcomes, Campbell and colleagues (2009) reported that up to 51% of rape victims endorsed depressive symptoms in the aftermath of the trauma.Studies indicate that individuals who experienced rape are three to five times more likely to meet the lifetime criteria of Major Depressive Episode, compared to crime non-victims (Zinzow et al., 2010(Zinzow et al., , 2012;; National Women's Study).Prevalence rates of depression may vary slightly in consideration of different forms of rape, but are significantly elevated despite method of coercion, as high as 36% for women reporting rape due to force and substance-involvement (Zinzow et al., 2012).The elevated prevalence rates of depression among rape victims necessitates examination of factors that contribute towards depression among rape victims.Research has demonstrated the individual role of shame, rumination, and experiential avoidance as contributing factors towards depression among rape victims (Merwin, Rosenthal, & Coffey, 2008;Michael, Halligan, Clark, & Ehlers, 2007;Wilson, 2006).However, research has neglected to examine rape-related shame and rumination, as well as overlooked how shame, rumination, and experiential avoidance are related to each other as factors underpinning depression among rape victims. Rape and ShameShame is an important, albeit often overlooked, outcome associated with the rape experience (Wilson, 2006).Brown (2006) defines shame as "an intensely painful feeling or experience of believing we are flawed and therefore unworthy of acceptance and belonging" (p.45).It is, hence, an intense negative emotion that involves feelings of self-condemnation and a desire to hide the damaged self from others (Tangney, 1995).Shame can be a pervasive emotional response in sexual assault and child abuse (Andrews, Brewin, Rose, & Kirk, 2000;Vidal & Petrak, 2007).Shame originates from self-blame, which is a common post-trauma sequela for most rape victims (Branscombe, Wohl, Owen, Allison, & N'gbala, 2003;Littleton & Breitkopf, 2006).Moor and Farchi (2011) posit that the self-blame common to rape victims

Source: OhioLink ETD Center (Ohio Library and Information Network)

Author: Prachi H. Bhuptani

Institution: Miami University

Language: English

Topic: Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies

Subfield: Gender Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Gender equality, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Award: Sexual Revictimization: Emotional and Psychosocial Mechanisms