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The Effectiveness of Psychoeducation and Brief Treatments in the Aftermath of Sexual Assault

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Handbook of Sexual Assault and Sexual Assault Prevention

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Abstract

Recent estimates indicate that roughly 20% of US adult women and 1.7% of men report being raped during their lifetime and an estimated 1.6% of women report being raped in the previous 12 months (Breiding et al., Surveillance Summaries, 63:1–18, 2014b). Sexual assault victimization is associated with higher rates of revictimization, interpersonal difficulties, and social stigma. Survivors of sexual assault are also at an increased risk of abusing alcohol and drugs, even among those who did not abuse substances prior to the assault (Kilpatrick et al., Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 65:834, 1997a). As such, there is an impetus to develop brief and evidence-based interventions that target the unique constellation of challenges faced by sexual assault victims. The aim of this chapter is to examine the available support for brief treatments and psychoeducational interventions in the aftermath of trauma and discuss limitations and future directions for research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA

    Catalina Vechiu & Martha Zimmermann

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  1. Catalina Vechiu
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  2. Martha Zimmermann
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA

    William T. O’Donohue

  2. Department of Criminology, Law, and Justice, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Paul A. Schewe

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Vechiu, C., Zimmermann, M. (2019). The Effectiveness of Psychoeducation and Brief Treatments in the Aftermath of Sexual Assault. In: O’Donohue, W.T., Schewe, P.A. (eds) Handbook of Sexual Assault and Sexual Assault Prevention. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23645-8_30

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