Citation

Orth U, Maercker A. J. Interpers. Violence 2004; 19(2): 212-227.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of Berne, Switzerland. ulrich.orth@psy.unibe.ch

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0886260503260326

PMID

15006002

Abstract

Attendance at trials of perpetrators could be retraumatizing for crime victims suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. To investigate this hypothesis, two studies were conducted in which retraumatization was defined as a significant increase in posttraumatic stress reactions. A cross-sectional study of 137 victims of rape and nonsexual assault revealed that trial variables do virtually not predict posttraumatic stress reactionsat a time several years after trial. A longitudinal study of 31 victims of rape and nonsexual assault revealed intraindividual stability of posttraumatic stress reactions for the time interval from a few weeks before the trial to a few weeks after the trial; in addition, interindividual stability was high. The results of both studies do not support the retraumatization hypothesis, which should therefore be used with caution.

Language: en