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Posttraumatic Growth Among Adult Female Sexual Assault Survivors.
Wan-Jung Hsieh1, Rachel C Garthe2
1Department of Social Work, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Violence Against Women
|August 19, 2025
Summary
Posttraumatic growth (PTG) in sexual assault survivors often plateaus. This study identified stable PTG trajectories, suggesting interventions are needed to promote psychological recovery after sexual assault.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Trauma Studies
- Mental Health
Background:
- Sexual assault is a significant traumatic event with potential for posttraumatic growth (PTG).
- Understanding the long-term psychological recovery trajectories following sexual assault is crucial for effective support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine longitudinal trajectories of posttraumatic growth (PTG) in adult female sexual assault survivors.
- To identify distinct patterns of PTG over a 9-month period following the traumatic event.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study design involving 228 adult female sexual assault survivors.
- Growth mixture modeling was employed to analyze PTG trajectories across four time points over 9 months.
Main Results:
- Three stable posttraumatic growth (PTG) trajectories were identified: High-Stable (35%), Moderate-Stable (41%), and Low-Stable (24%).
- No significant growth or decline in PTG was observed within any trajectory over the 9-month study period, indicating a plateau effect.
Conclusions:
- Posttraumatic growth (PTG) may stabilize relatively quickly after sexual assault, rather than showing continuous development.
- Postassault services and interventions should be designed to actively foster and promote PTG to support psychological recovery.
- Further research is warranted to explore individual and contextual factors influencing PTG facilitation in this population.
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