Sexual Revictimization: Emotional and Psychosocial Mechanisms

描述（由申请人提供）：大量文献证明，早期性受害与成年妇女的各种心理健康问题（例如，创伤后应激障碍、药物滥用）有关。更令人不安的是，在童年或青春期遭受虐待的妇女，成年后再次遭受性侵害的可能性高达10倍。这个问题被称为“再受害”，近年来引起了巨大的研究兴趣，主要是为了确定患病率和确定与这种现象相关的因素。虽然提供了信息，但这项初步工作尚未解释童年或青少年受害与成人再次受害之间的联系过程。为了满足这一需求，本项目在纵向框架内整合了过去的研究结果，以阐明将最初的虐待与成人再次受害联系起来的途径。特别是，将检查与精神病理学、性冒险和酒精使用有关的机制。本研究还采取了进一步的步骤，审查导致成人性受害的更直接决定因素的先决条件。具体而言，根据最近的理论和实证研究结果，我们提出，早期虐待导致的情绪调节困难是再次受害的更直接的社会心理预测因素的潜在风险因素。总之，这些发现将允许测试一个全面的再受害模式。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A vast literature has documented that early sexual victimization is associated with a variety of mental health difficulties for adult women (e.g., PTSD, substance abuse). Even more disturbing is that the same women who suffer maltreatment during childhood or adolescence are up to ten times more likely to be sexually victimized again as adults. Known as "revictimization," this problem has generated tremendous research interest in recent years geared largely at establishing prevalence rates and identifying factors associated with this phenomenon. Although informative, this initial work has yet to explain the processes by which childhood or adolescence victimization is linked to adult revictimization. In response to this need, the present project integrates past findings within a longitudinal framework to elucidate pathways linking initial maltreatment to adult revictimization. In particular, mechanisms related to psychopathology, sexual risk taking, and alcohol use will be examined. The present study also takes the additional step of examining the antecedents that give rise to the more immediate determinants of adult sexual victimization. Specifically, drawing on recent theoretical and empirical findings we propose that difficulties with emotion regulation stemming from early abuse serve as underlying risk factors for the more immediate psychosocial predictors of revictimization. Together, these findings will permit the testing of a comprehensive model of revictimization. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Sexual violence against women is an endemic societal problem that has been associated with myriad sequelae such as posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, interpersonal difficulties, and serious health problems such as HIV. Understanding risk factors for victimization is critical to the development of effective sexual assault prevention and treatment programs designed to reduce the societal burden of these experiences.