Location

Presentation- College of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis Presentation (Restricted to Georgia Southern)

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Brandon Weiss

Faculty Mentor Email

brandonweiss@georgiasouthern.edu

Presentation Year

2021

Start Date

26-4-2021 12:00 AM

End Date

30-4-2021 12:00 AM

Keywords

Georgia Southern University, Honors Symposium, Presentation

Description

Sexual assault has been defined as crimes that include attacks or attempted attacks generally involving unwanted sexual contact between victim and offender. After experiencing assault, survivors look for support and belief often turning to their religious communities. It has been found through prior research that the confession of assault has been received on an inconsistent reaction basis. Prior research has also found that religion is often used as a protective shield for perpetrators to hide behind and a roadblock for survivors. Prior research has also primarily focused on investigating reactions to assault in religious communities for either male female victims with very little research done to compare the two. The purpose of this study is to assess how positively or negatively religion impacts trauma following sexual assault for both men and women. College students were recruited to complete a series of self-report measures that includes measures of sexual experiences, religiosity and spirituality, PTSD, interpersonal support, and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. Results were used to assess how their religious involvement impacts their trauma. Results of the study showed no significant effect of sex and rape status on religious involvement/spiritual involvement. Results also showed a significant effect of sex and rape status on PTSD

Academic Unit

College of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Comments

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Apr 26th, 12:00 AM Apr 30th, 12:00 AM

Does God Condone Assault? How Religious Commitment Impacts Trauma Following Sexual Abuse

Presentation- College of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Sexual assault has been defined as crimes that include attacks or attempted attacks generally involving unwanted sexual contact between victim and offender. After experiencing assault, survivors look for support and belief often turning to their religious communities. It has been found through prior research that the confession of assault has been received on an inconsistent reaction basis. Prior research has also found that religion is often used as a protective shield for perpetrators to hide behind and a roadblock for survivors. Prior research has also primarily focused on investigating reactions to assault in religious communities for either male female victims with very little research done to compare the two. The purpose of this study is to assess how positively or negatively religion impacts trauma following sexual assault for both men and women. College students were recruited to complete a series of self-report measures that includes measures of sexual experiences, religiosity and spirituality, PTSD, interpersonal support, and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. Results were used to assess how their religious involvement impacts their trauma. Results of the study showed no significant effect of sex and rape status on religious involvement/spiritual involvement. Results also showed a significant effect of sex and rape status on PTSD