Understanding Trauma: Sexual Assault & Domestic Abuse Cycles
Psychological Consequences of Sexual Assault
Sexual assault is experienced by victims as an attack not primarily against sex, but mainly against their physical and psychological well-being. The major psychological consequences of sexual assault on a victim’s emotional balance are as follows:
Short-Term Psychological Effects
- Physical complaints
- Changes in appetite
- Sleep disorders and nightmares
- Low morale, generalized anxiety, and fear
- Tendency to isolation, difficulty returning to everyday life
Medium-Term Psychological Effects
- Depression
- Loss of self-esteem
- Difficulties in social relationships
- Sexual dysfunctions
- Diverse fears
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
The victim may be able to resume their normal lives, but often with limitations.
Long-Term Psychological Effects
- Irritability
- Distrust
- Excessive alertness
- Blunted affect
- Sexual dysfunction
- Decreased ability to enjoy life
The evolution of a victim’s recovery over time does not always follow the same process. The intensity of symptoms within days of the aggression can predict the severity of the long-term problem.
Feelings of Guilt in Survivors
Feelings of guilt are frequently experienced by victims of sexual assault. Guilt can be related to the victim’s conduct *before* the aggression, *during* the assault, and *after* the attack. Sometimes, guilt is socially induced, with blame placed on the victim for perceived provocative behavior.
Secondary Victimization: Impact of the Justice System
Secondary victimization derives from the relationship established between the victim and the criminal legal system after the assault. Institutional abuse can contribute to compounding the psychological damage of the victim. The results of secondary victimization include:
- Repeated declarations
- Repeated psychological or medical examinations
- Lack of delicacy in questioning
- Delayed trials
- Public declaration of the alleged aggressor’s presence
- Questioning the victim’s lifestyle or challenging their testimony
An efficient judicial action is essential to restoring the victim’s psychological equilibrium.
Psychological Perspectives on Gender Violence
The psychological perspective on gender violence shifts attention to the internal processes of thinking and emotional states. It often establishes that the offender has serious shortcomings, including an inability to handle situations of tension or frustration. It is also noted that victims may possess personality characteristics that make them more vulnerable to abuse. Psychologists often suggest that abusers and victims share common personality patterns and behaviors, which frequently leads to many victims becoming, at the same time or later, aggressors themselves. In such cases, it is difficult to separate the common learning phenomenon that occurs in their lives from the contribution of the specific characteristics individuals bring to this interaction. More recent theories have attempted to relate certain psychological traits with aggression and violent behavior that can predict the mistreatment of wives and children. When psychology considers more social perspectives, environmental elements are introduced into the explanatory theories of abuse.
Lenore Walker’s Cycle of Violence Theory
Lenore Walker developed her *theory of the three stages of the cycle of violence* to answer the question of why women who are being battered by their partners often stay in abusive relationships. The cycle consists of:
Stage 1: Tension Building
In this stage, there is a gradual escalation of stress, manifested by specific acts that cause friction in *crescendo* (increasing intensity).
Stage 2: Acute Battering Incident
This stage occurs when the woman’s efforts fail to alleviate the situation. According to Walker, this precipitates the explosion of violence, where the abuser controls where and how it occurs, often taking precautions to reduce injury and pain from the beating.
Stage 3: Honeymoon Phase
Following the violence, the offender is repentant, and the victim wants to believe in the sincerity of their partner. From this point, the cycle repeats. In Walker’s perspective, women become trapped, held hostage by their own perception of the situation.