The Role of Resilience in Sexual Assault Revictimization

Abstract

Prevalence rates for child sexual abuse (CSA), adolescent sexual assault, and adult sexual assault (ASA) range from 25-50%, and approximately 50% of CSA victim-survivors go on to experience ASA. Experiencing multiple sexual assaults has been linked with more severe outcomes, specifically post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Yet, 75% of individuals recover following sexual assault. It is possible that resilience factors may play a crucial role in facilitating recovery. However, relatively little is understood about how resilience might operate in the context of multiple victimizations, particularly across developmental time periods. This study examined the relationship between victimization across developmental time periods, resilience factors (emotion regulation, mindfulness, adaptive coping), and PTSS severity. We analyzed a sample of 503 cisgender community women to examine whether victimization across multiple developmental time periods was associated with more severe PTSS and whether resilience factors individually and cumulatively moderate this association. Findings revealed a significant positive association between victimization at multiple time periods and PTSS severity. Moderation analyses suggested that emotion regulation, mindfulness, and adaptive coping strategies (both individually and cumulatively) do not moderate this association. However, multiple regression analyses suggested that resilience factors individually and cumulatively exert a direct positive effect on PTSS severity, counteracting the negative effects of victimization. Findings have important implications for clinicians and researchers, highlighting the importance of fostering resilience factors, such as emotion regulation, mindfulness, and adaptive coping strategies, to enhance recovery for multiply victimized individuals.