Citation

Pinciotti CM, Reffi AN, Orcutt HK. Violence Vict. 2019; 34(1): 104-119.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Springer Publishing)

DOI

10.1891/0886-6708.34.1.104

PMID

30808796

Abstract

Although many women do not report sexual victimization as motivation for seeking self-defense training, differences in self-efficacy suggest that self-efficacy deficits may influence survivors' desire to seek training. Lower self-efficacy, thought to negatively influence perceived confidence in one's ability to engage in everyday activities, may relate to avoidance of mundane activities and cause exacerbation of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). The current study examined a three-way interaction modeling the relationships between history of rape, activities self-efficacy, activities avoidance, and PTSS in a diverse sample of 233 women enrolled in self-defense training.

RESULTS suggest that survivors who avoid everyday activities experience increased PTSS, but this effect is mitigated by perceived self-efficacy to engage in these activities. Activities self-efficacy may promote resilience in rape survivors regardless of whether they actually engage in such activities. Training that targets self-efficacy, rather than actual engagement in activities, may be sufficient to reduce PTSS in rape survivors.

© Copyright 2019 Springer Publishing Company, LLC.

Language: en

Keywords

avoidance; post-traumatic stress; rape; self-defense; self-efficacy