The aim of the study was to compare the long-term
effects of conflict-related sexual violence experienced at the end of World War
II (WWII) with non-sexual WWII trauma (e.g., being exposed to shell shock or
physical violence).
A total of 27 elderly wartime rape survivors were compared
to age- and gender-matched control subjects who were drawn from a larger sample
of subjects over 70 years of age who had experienced WWII-related trauma.
A modified version of the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale was used to assess
trauma characteristics and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and
the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 was used to assess current psychopathology.
Additionally, measures of posttraumatic growth (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory)
and social acknowledgement as a trauma survivor (Social Acknowledgement
Questionnaire) were used to assess two mediating variables in post-trauma
conditions of rape victims. Women exposed to conflict-related sexual violence
reported greater severity of PTSD-related avoidance and hyperarousal symptoms,
as well as anxiety, compared with female long-term survivors of non-sexual WWII
trauma.
The vast majority (80.9 %) of these women also reported severe
sexual problems during their lifetimes relative to 19.0 % of women who
experienced non-sexual war trauma. Women exposed to conflict-related sexual
violence also reported greater posttraumatic growth, but less social
acknowledgement as trauma survivors, compared to survivors of non-sexual war
trauma.
The results were consistent with emerging neurobiological research,
which suggests that different traumas may be differentially associated with
long-term posttraumatic sequelae in sexual assault survivors than in other
survivor groups and highlights the need to treat (or better prevent)
deleterious effects of conflict-related sexual violence in current worldwide
crisis zones.
Purchase full article at: http://goo.gl/3rLjlu
By: Kuwert P1, Glaesmer H, Eichhorn S, Grundke E, Pietrzak RH, Freyberger HJ, Klauer T.
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University
Medicine Greifswald at the HELIOS Hansehospital Stralsund, Rostocker Chaussee
70, 18437, Stralsund, Germany, kuwert@uni-greifswald.de.
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