Citation

Ullman SE, Najdowski CJ. J. Interpers. Violence 2011; 26(10): 1934-1962.

Affiliation

University of Illinois at Chicago.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0886260510372940

PMID

20724295

Abstract

The present longitudinal study examined relationships between self-blame attributions and social reactions to disclosure in a community sample of adult sexual assault victims (N = 555). Cross-lagged panel analyses showed that neither characterological self-blame nor behavioral self-blame related to negative social reactions over the 1-year follow-up period. In contrast, characterological but not behavioral self-blame predicted fewer positive reactions over time. Although positive reactions did not reduce self-blame, negative reactions led to greater characterological, but not behavioral, self-blame during the course of the study. Thus, relationships between self-blame and social reactions were not reciprocal but rather quite complex. The effects of victims' coping strategies and sexual revictimization were also assessed.

Language: en