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Substance Use-Related Social Reactions to Sexual Assault Disclosures: Results from Survivor - Informal Support Dyadic
Sarah E Ullman1, Teuta Peja1, Casey Harris1
1Department of Criminology, Law, & Justice, University of Illinois Chicago.
Informal supports sometimes blame sexual assault survivors for substance use, but can also offer support. Education is crucial for improving responses to substance-involved sexual assaults.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Victimology
- Substance Abuse Research
Background:
- Research on social reactions to sexual assault (SA) disclosure primarily focuses on survivor perspectives.
- Dyadic data examining informal support systems' reactions to SA disclosures, especially substance-related ones, is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the gap in dyadic data concerning substance-related social reactions to sexual assault (SA).
- To investigate how different informal support relationships (significant others, family, friends) react to substance-involved SAs.
Main Methods:
- Utilized interview data from 15 survivor-informal support dyads.
- Analyzed social reactions within three distinct relationship types: significant others, family, and friends.
Main Results:
- Informal support providers (SPs) exhibited a range of reactions to substance-involved SAs.
- Reactions included positive affirmations (no survivor blame), mixed responses (initial blame shifting to support), and negative reactions (victim-blaming due to substance use).
Conclusions:
- Education and training are essential for informal support providers (SPs).
- Improved training can help SPs avoid blaming survivors for substance use in assaults.
- Enhanced training can increase SPs' capacity to recognize and communicate that survivors are not at fault.
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