Citation

Ullman SE, Relyea M. J. Trauma. Stress 2016; 29(6): 500-506.

Affiliation

Department of Criminology, Law, & Justice, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jts.22143

PMID

27862347

Abstract

Social support and coping affect each other after stressful life events, including sexual assault (Taylor & Stanton, 2007). The present study examined the associations among assault-specific support, maladaptive coping, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) over 3 years in a sample of female sexual assault survivors from a large metropolitan area (N = 1,863). A 3-wave cross-lagged panel model revealed significant weak-to-moderate reciprocal associations between maladaptive coping and PTSS (βs =.09 to.21), significant weak reciprocal associations between turning against social reactions and PTSS (βs =.07 to.10), and inconsistent weak reciprocal associations between maladaptive coping and unsupportive acknowledgment reactions (βs =.06 to.14). We conclude with implications regarding treatment and intervention for survivors and their support networks.

Copyright © 2016 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

Language: en