Hostname: page-component-5db58dd55d-m58mf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-06-10T23:25:31.885Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Treatment of rape victims

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Gillian C. Mezey
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the 'Save PDF' action button.

Sexual offences account for just under 1% of all notifiable offences and have been increasing over the past decade (Home Office, 1993). However, the official statistics on rape prevalence grossly underestimate the extent of the problem; many cases of non-consensual intercourse are not reported or prosecuted; about one-third of reported serious sexual offences are ‘no crimed’ by the police, and many rape offences are reduced to lesser charges through the practice of plea bargaining. Only a small minority of alleged rapists are eventually convicted and receive a custodial sentence (Gregory & Lees, 1996).

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Advances in Psychiatric Treatment , Volume 3 , Issue 4 , July 1997 , pp. 197 - 203
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 1997 

References

American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic Criteria from DSM–IV. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.Google Scholar
Atkeson, B. M., Calhoun, K. S., Resick, P. A. et al (1982) Victims of rape: repeated assessment of depressive symptoms. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 50, 96–102.Google Scholar
Becker, J. V. & Abel, G. G. (1981) Behavioral treatment of victims of sexual assault. In Handbook of Clinical Behavior Therapy (eds Turner, S. M., Calhoun, K. S. & Adams, H. E.) pp. 347–379. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Becker, J. V. & Skinner, L. J. (1983) Assessment and treatment of rape related sexual dysfunctions. Clinical Psychologist, 36, 102–105.Google Scholar
Becker, J. V. & Skinner, L. J.– (1984) Behavioural treatment of sexual dysfunctions in sexual assault survivors. In Victims of Sexual Agression (eds Stuart, I. & Jreer, J.) pp. 211–234. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.Google Scholar
Bisson, J. I., Jenkins, P. L., Alexander, J. et al (1997) A randomised controlled trial of psychological debriefing for victims of acute burn trauma. British Journal of Pychiatry, 171, 78–81.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blanchard, E. B. & Abel, G. G. (1976) An experimental case study of the bio-feedback treatment of a rape induced psychophysiological cardiovascular disorder. Behavior Therapy, 7, 113–119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brabin, P. J. & Berah, E. F. (1995) Dredging up past traumas; harmful or helpful? Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 2, 165–171.Google Scholar
Brom, D., Kleber, R. J. & Defares, P. B. (1989) Brief psychotherapy for post traumatic stress disorders. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 607–612.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, G. W., Harris, T. O. & Hepworth, C. (1995) Loss, humiliation and entrapment among women developing depression: a patient and non-patient comparison. Psychological Medicine, 25, 7–21.Google Scholar
Burgess, A. W. & Holmstrom, L. L. (1974) Rape trauma syndrome. American Journal of Psychiatry, 131, 981–986.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burgess, A. W. & Holmstrom, L. L.– (1978) Recovery from rape and prior life stress. Research in Nursing and Health, 1, 165–174.Google Scholar
Calhoun, K. S., Atkeson, B. M. & Resick, P. A. (1982) A longitudinal examination of fear reactions in victims of rape. Journal of Counselling Psychology, 29, 651–655.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Caplan, G. (1964) Principles of Preventive Psychiatry. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Cryer, L. & Beutler, L. (1980) Group therapy: an alternative treatment approach for rape victims. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 6, 40–46.Google Scholar
Davidson, J. (1992) Drug therapy and post-traumatic stress disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry, 160, 309–314.Google Scholar
Ellis, E. M., Atkeson, B. M. & Calhoun, K. S. (1981) As assessment of long-term reaction to rape. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 90, 263–266.Google Scholar
Foa, E. B., Herst-Ikeda, D. & Perry, K. J. (1995) Evaluation of a brief cognitive-behavioural program for the prevention of chronic PTSD in recent assault victims. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63, 948–955.Google Scholar
Foa, E. B., Rothbaum, B. O., Riggs, D. S. et al (1991) Treatment of post traumatic stress disorder in rape victims: a comparison between cognitive behavioral procedures and counselling. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 715–723.Google Scholar
Forman, B. D. (1980) Cognitive modification of obsessive thinking in a rape victim. Psychological Reports, 47, 819–822.Google Scholar
Frank, E. N. & Stewart, B. D. (1984) Depressive symptoms in rape victims. A revisit. Journal of Affective Disorders, 7, 77–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gregory, J. & Lees, S. (1996) Attrition in rape and sexual assault cases. British Journal of Criminology, 36, 1–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Home Office (1993) Criminal Statistics England and Wales. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Kenardy, J. A., Webster, R. A., Lewin, T. J. et al (1996) Stress debriefing and patterns of recovery following a natural disaster. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9, 37–49.Google Scholar
Kilpatrick, D. G., Best, C. L., Veronen, L. J. et al (1985) Mental health correlates of criminal victimisation. A random community survey. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 866–873.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kilpatrick, D. G., Veronen, L. J. & Resick, P. A. (1979) The aftermath of rape. Recent empirical findings. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 49, 658–669.Google Scholar
Kilpatrick, D. G., Resick, P. A. & Veronen, L. J. (1981) Effects of a rape experience: a longitudinal study. Journal of Social Issues, 37, 105–122.Google Scholar
Kilpatrick, D. G., Veronen, L. J. & Resick, P. A. (1982) Psychological sequelae to rape. Assessment and treatment strategies. In Behavioral Medicine: Assessment and Treatment Stategies (eds Daniel, M., Doleys, D. M., Meredith, R. L. et al), pp. 473–498. London: Plenum.Google Scholar
Kilpatrick, D. G., Saunders, B. E., Veronen, L. J. et al (1987) Criminal victimisation: life time prevalence, reporting to the police and psychological impact. Crime and Delinquency, 33, 479–489.Google Scholar
Kilpatrick, D. G., Saunders, B. E., Amick-McMullan, A. et al (1989) Victim and crime factors associated with the development of crime related post traumatic stress disorder. Behavior Therapy, 20, 199–214.Google Scholar
Koziey, P. W. & McLeod, G. L. (1987) Visual-kinesthetic dissociation in treatment of victims of rape. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 18, 276–282.Google Scholar
MacCulloch, M. J. & Feldman, P. (1996) Eye movement desensitisation treatment utilises the positive visceral element of the investigatory reflex to inhibit the memories of post-traumatic stress disorder: a theoretical analysis. British journal of Psychiatry, 169, 571–579.Google Scholar
McCann, I. L., Sackheim, D. K. & Abrahamson, D. J. (1988) Trauma and victimisation: a model of psychological adaptation. Counselling Psychologist, 16, 531–594.Google Scholar
Meichenbaum, D. H. (1985) Stress Innoculation Training. Elmsford, NY: Pergamon.Google Scholar
Mezey, G. C. & Taylor, P. (1988) Psychological reactions of women who have been raped. A descriptive and comparative study. British journal of Psychiatry, 152, 330–339.Google Scholar
Mezey, G. C. & King, M. (1992) Male Victims of Sexual Assault. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Nadelson, C. C., Notman, M. T., Zackson, H. et al (1982) A follow up study of rape victims. American Journal of Psychiary, 139, 1266–1270.Google Scholar
Norris, J. & Feldman-Summers, S. (1981) Factors related to the psychological inpact of rape on the victim. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 90, 562–567.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pennebaker, J. W. (1993) Putting stress into words: health, linguistic and therapeutic implications. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 6, 539–548.Google Scholar
Raphael, B., Meldrum, L. & McFarlane, A. C. (1995) Does debriefing after psychological trauma work? Time for randomised controlled trials. British Medical Journal, 310, 1479–1480.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raphael, B., Wilson, J., Meldrum, L. et al (1996) Acute preventive interventions. In Traumatic Stress. The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body and Society (eds Vandervolk, B. A., McFarlane, A. C. & Weisaeth, L.) pp. 463–479. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Resick, P. A., Calhoun, K. S., Atkeson, B. M. et al (1981) Social adjustment in victims of sexual assault. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 49, 705–712.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Resick, P. A., Jordan, C. G., Girelli, S. A. et al (1988) A comparative outcome study of behavioural group therapy for sexual assault victims. Behaviour Therapy, 19, 385–401.Google Scholar
Robinson, R. & Mitchell, J. (1993) Evaluation of psychological debriefings. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 6, 367–382.Google Scholar
Rothbaum, B. O., Foa, E. B., Riggs, D. S. et al (1992) A prospective examination of post traumatic stress disorder in rape victims. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 5, 455–475.Google Scholar
Ruch, L. O. & Chandler, S. M. (1983) Sexual assault trauma during the acute phase: an exploratory model and multi-variant analysis. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, 24, 174–185.Google Scholar
Sales, E., Baum, M. & Shore, B. (1984) Victim readjustment following assault. Journal of Social Issues, 40, 117–136.Google Scholar
Shapiro, F. (1989) Eye movement desensitisation: a new treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Behavioural Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 20, 211–217.Google Scholar
Shapiro, F. (1995) Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. Basic Principles, Protocols and Procedures. New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Steketee, G. & Foa, E. B. (1977) Rape victims: post traumatic stress responses and their treatment. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 1, 69–86.Google Scholar
Turner, S. W., Thompson, J. & Rosser, R. M. (1993) The Kings Cross Fire: Early psychological response and implications for organising a ‘phase-2’ response. In International Handbook of Traumatic Stress Syndromes (eds Wilson, J. P. & Raphael, B.) pp. 451–459. New York: Plenum.Google Scholar
Van der Kolk, B. A. (1987) The drug treatment of post traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 13, 203–213.Google Scholar
Veronen, L. J. & Kilpatrick, D. G. (1983) Stress management for rape victims. In Stress Reduction and Prevention (eds Meichenbaum, D. & Jaremko, M. E.) pp. 341–374. New York: Plenum.Google Scholar
Whiston, S. K. (1981) Counselling sexual assault victims: a loss model. Personnel and Guidance Journal, 2, 363–366.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.