Sexual abuse
Joseph S. Sanfilippo, Eduardo Lara-Torre, Veronica Gomez-Lobo in Sanfilippo's Textbook of Pediatric and Adolescent GynecologySecond Edition, 2019
Terms such as “date rape” or “acquaintance rape” refer to sexual violence between people who encounter each other socially—this may be in the context of a relationship, a peer group, or just a shared event. It is important to be aware that simple miscommunication and sexual experimentation do not cause sexual violence. A perpetrator of date rape is not interested in romance or relationships, but rather in dominance and power. The idea of “dating” is used to gain first the trust of, and then access to, a potential victim, and alcohol and drugs may also be introduced in order to gain control over the other person. Rape myths can create confusion about acquaintance rape. Rape myths are culturally endorsed beliefs that exert a negative influence on disclosure of assault by proposing the victim perhaps invited the assault (i.e., “she was asking for it”) or that a victim is lying and has ulterior motives (i.e., after contact occurs, changes her mind about consent). They can be invoked to trivialize an assault or to deny an assault occurred.39,40
The Borderline Couple
Len Sperry, Katherine Helm, Jon Carlson in The Disordered Couple, 2019
Bouchard and Sabourin (2009) provide a summary analysis of research regarding couple dysfunctions in Borderline Personality Disorder. Overall, these couples report less relationship satisfaction and more distress. In terms of sexual functioning, there are often problems such as heightened sexual impulsivity, reduced satisfaction, boredom, greater preoccupation with sex, and, conversely, sexual avoidance. Sexual problems were more likely to be reported by women with Borderline Personality Disorder compared to men. Women with BPD report earlier age of first intercourse and more lifetime sexual partners, and were more likely to have been the victims of date rape. People with this disorder may view sex as a means to secure relationship commitment and avoid rejection.
Social Construction of Illness: Addressing the Impact of Cancer on Women in Therapy
Ellyn Kaschak in Minding the Body: Psychotherapy in Cases of Chronic and Life-Threatening Illness, 2014
Experience is a direct interaction with the physical environment and bodily sensation. Experience can occur without language. Take, for example, date rape, an experience that offers enough ambiguity in the definition that it is not immediately represented in language. The experience is real and is attributed with great significance. Yet it remains without words or definition often until hours, days, or months later. It is not that the experience does not hold significance or that the victim is unaware of the significance prior to the labeling. Decisions are made relative to that experience even before the label occurs. For instance, the rape victim may avoid men or may be too afraid to leave her home. The experience, therefore, has great meaning in the person’s life without the linguistic construction of the definition of “date rape.” People’s constructions of illness, specifically cancer, occur in the same way.
Relationship Between Date Rape Attitudes, Rape Myths and Experiences with Sexual Violence Among Ivorian College Students
Published in Journal of School Violence, 2023
Francis D. Boateng, Nabi Youla Doumbia, Bassey Kooffreh, Charlotte Omane Kwakye-Nuako
A substantial body of research conducted in the past several years has found evidence suggesting that sexual violence is a growing problem among college students globally. Research in North America shows that 27% of the sampled students reported experiencing forced sexual activities on campus (Gross et al., 2006). Though male students occasionally experience some form of sexual victimization, the rate of occurrence among female college students is astronomically high, with some research reporting estimates ranging from 13% to 21% (Benson et al., 2007) and others arguing that one out of every 4 women has been a victim of rape during their college studies (Mohler-Kuo et al., 2004). This trend is an indication that sexual violence is a problem on college campuses. More specifically, date rape, which involves non-consensual sexual activity among dating partners continues to pose a greater threat to women on campus (Carr & VanDeusen, 2004; Harned, 2002; Lee et al., 2007; Mulford & Giordano, 2008; Rickert & Wiemann, 1998).
Relational and Trait Factors Mediate the Associations between Women’s Intoxication-Related Unwanted Sexual Experiences, Pleasure, and Desire
Published in The Journal of Sex Research, 2022
Katherine W. Bogen, Harper R. Jones, Tierney K. Lorenz
USC is also associated with decreased relationship satisfaction, particularly if experienced in both childhood and adulthood (Kilpatrick et al., 1987; Pulverman et al., 2018; Whiffen & Macintosh, 2005). Poor sexual functioning may itself impact relationship quality, as sexual and relationship satisfaction are consistently positively associated (Byers, 2005; Purnine & Carey, 1997). Intoxication-related USC is frequently committed by a known perpetrator, such as an acquaintance or date. USC by a known perpetrator constitutes a betrayal trauma, which may in turn affect women’s trust in intimate partners (McNally, 2007; Wiehe et al., 1995). In the case of acquaintance or date rape, individuals may have trusted their sexual partner up until the moment that partner violated their consent (Brecklin & Ullman, 2010), the effects of which may sabotage norms of trust-based interpersonal relationships (Burnett et al., 2009; Wiehe et al., 1995) as well as increase incidence of PTSD, dissociation symptoms (Tang & Freyd, 2012), and experiential avoidance (Follette & Vechiu, 2017). The high incidence of intoxication-related USC perpetration by acquaintances or dating partners and the high levels of dissociation and experiential avoidance symptoms by survivors of betrayal trauma may explain why intoxication-related USC is more closely linked with poor sexual functioning compared to other forms of USC. Further, women who experience betrayal trauma are likely to report remaining in relationships following a betrayal of trust (Gobin & Freyd, 2009), which may result in decreased emotional closeness and relationship satisfaction. Emotional closeness during sex and relationship satisfaction may mediate the association between intoxication-related USC history and sexual functioning. It is reasonable to expect that relationship satisfaction may increase interpersonal trust within sexual contexts, thereby reducing risk of dissociation or avoidance and improving sexual outcomes.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Antipsychotic
- Cocaine
- Ethanol
- Ketamine
- Methaqualone
- Zolpidem
- Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid
- Mickey Finn
- Sedative
- Hypnotic