Predictors of Long-Term Sexual Assault Trauma among a National Sample of Victimized College Women
Abstract
Several multivariate studies have attempted to delineate the major predictors of longterm, sexual assault-induced aftereffects. The present study was an attempt to extend previous work by supplementing known preassault, assault, and postassault predictors of trauma with cognitive measures. The data were cross-sectional and included responses from 1,213 victims of sexual assault who were recruited from a national sample of higher education students. Utilizing hierarchical multiple regression analyses and a cross-validation procedure, the results suggested that the prior mental status of the victims, the forcefulness of the assaults, as well as two cognitive variables related to a victim’s beliefs about sex and relationships predicted victims’ scores on standardized measures of anxiety and depression.