To Tell or Not to Tell

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Public Health

Background:

• The underreporting of rape is a significant issue in public health and criminal justice.
• Limited research exists on the experiences and needs of sexual assault survivors who do not disclose their experiences to anyone.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the characteristics and outcomes of women who do not disclose sexual assault compared to those who do.
• To examine the relationship between disclosure patterns and help-seeking behaviors, self-blame, and mental health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was administered to 242 women.
• Participants were categorized based on whether they disclosed their sexual assault experience or not.
• Statistical analyses were used to compare groups on emotional injury treatment seeking, self-blame, depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

Main Results:

• 24% of non-disclosing women were significantly less likely to seek treatment for emotional injuries compared to those who disclosed.
• Nearly two-thirds of non-disclosing women believed the abuse was their fault, versus 39.1% of women with prior disclosure.
• No significant differences in reported depression, anxiety, or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were found between disclosure groups.

Conclusions:

• Women who do not disclose sexual assault face unique barriers to seeking emotional support and are more prone to self-blame.
• Despite differences in disclosure and self-blame, mental health outcomes like depression and anxiety were similar across groups.
• The majority of respondents favored online counseling, suggesting a potential avenue for accessible mental health support for survivors.