The present study examined the roles of sexual victimization history, sexism toward women, and sexism toward men in the gender difference in rape myth acceptance. The data were obtained from 2,011 ...male and female college students who completed an online survey. The results suggested that gender had a significant indirect effect on rape myth acceptance via sexual assault history and several forms of sexist beliefs. The findings supported the importance of considering additional antecedents of rape myths in research, as well as in programming geared toward preventing sexual assault and improving support for survivors.
Media coverage of sexual assault has increased since 2017 due to high‐profile cases and social media campaigns designed to increase awareness of sexual assault. The purpose of this study was to ...examine whether media coverage of the Harvey Weinstein allegations and the onset of the 2017 viral #MeToo movement impacted the likelihood of college women acknowledging their own victimization as rape. Participants were 207 female rape survivors who completed an online survey that included assessments of survivor acknowledgment and characteristics of the sexual assault. Some participants completed the study prior to the Harvey Weinstein allegations and onset of the #MeToo movement, and some participants completed the study after these events. The likelihood of survivors labeling their experience as rape did not differ based on when participants completed the study, odds ratios (ORs) = 0.61–3.92, ps = .127‐.604. Use of both nonforceful verbal resistance, OR = 2.63, p = .001, and assertive resistance, OR = 3.05, p < .001, were positively associated with the likelihood of survivor acknowledgment. The effects of both perpetrators’ use of force and experiencing immobility on survivor acknowledgment were moderated by the timing of study completion, ORs = 4.22 and 0.11, respectively, ps = .023‐.040. These findings suggest that media coverage may impact how certain sexual assault characteristics influence how survivors label their victimization experiences.
Abstract
Although it is well‐established that sexual assault is a risk factor for posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and other negative mental health outcomes, research is needed to help identify ...which individuals are most likely to experience ongoing distress following sexual assault. Negative cognitions following trauma may be influenced by sexual assault characteristics and have been shown to be associated with PTSS. The present study examined whether sexual assault characteristics were associated with PTSS by way of posttraumatic cognitions in a sample of 475 female college students who had experienced a sexual assault since the age of 14 years. Participants completed an online survey that included questions about sexual assault characteristics (i.e., whether the perpetrator used force, whether they experienced a freeze response), posttraumatic cognitions, and PTSS. Path analysis revealed that survivors who indicated they froze during the assault reported higher levels of PTSS, total effect = .28,
p
< .001, direct effect = .19,
p
< .001; posttraumatic cognitions regarding others, indirect effect = .02,
p
= .047, and other‐safety, indirect effect = .05,
p
= .003, partially accounted for this association. Only the direct effect of perpetrator use of force on PTSS was statistically significant, total effect = .23,
p
= .090, direct effect = .16,
p
= .009; none of the indirect effects were statistically significant,
p
s = .063–.669. The results support that assault characteristics are associated with postassault outcomes and are consistent with the cognitive model of posttraumatic stress disorder.
Because unacknowledged rape survivors (i.e., those who do not conceptualize their victimization as rape) are less likely to report the crime to police or seek formal services, a better understanding ...of factors that contribute to rape acknowledgment is a key step to improving access to care and assault reporting on college campuses. To contribute to this line of research, this study examined the indirect effect of sexist attitudes toward men on rape acknowledgment via rejection of rape myths among female rape survivors. The analyzed sample included 250 college female rape survivors (M age = 22.49 years, SD = 7.27) who completed measures of sexual assault history, sexist beliefs toward men, and rejection of rape myths. Among these women, 49.6% were classified as acknowledged rape survivors and 50.4% of the sample was classified as unacknowledged rape survivors. Indirect effects of sexist beliefs on rape acknowledgment via rape myth rejection were supported for four types of sexist beliefs, including resentment of paternalism, compensatory gender differentiation, maternalism, and complementary gender differentiation. Specifically, the findings supported that people with greater levels of these particular types of sexist beliefs toward men rejected rape myths less, and lower rejection of rape myths was associated with increased likelihood of unacknowledged rape. The indirect effects were not supported for the heterosexual hostility or heterosexual intimacy subscales of sexist beliefs. By identifying antecedents of rape acknowledgment, the findings from this study can be used to inform programming geared toward encouraging survivors to seek services, which ultimately improves survivor outcomes.
In light of major advances in immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis, we evaluated the trends in presentation, management, and outcome among 1551 newly diagnosed AL amyloidosis patients seen in ...our institution from 2000 to 2014. As compared with the 2 intervals 2000-2004 and 2005-2009, patients diagnosed in 2010-2014 were less likely to have >2 involved organs. Utilization of autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) was similar across all periods, about one-third of patients, but there was an increase in the use of pre-ASCT bortezomib induction and of unattenuated melphalan conditioning in 2010-2014 compared with earlier periods. Non-ASCT first-line regimen changed with 65% of patients in 2010-2014 received bortezomib-based therapy, 79% of patients in 2005-2009 received melphalan-dexamethasone, and 64% of patients in 2000-2004 received melphalan-prednisone. The rate of better than very good partial response (VGPR) was higher in more recent periods (66% vs 58% vs 51%; P = .001), a change largely driven by improved VGPR rates in the non-ASCT population. Overall survival (OS) has improved, with inflection points for improvement differing for the ASCT and non-ASCT groups. In the ASCT population, the greatest gains were after 2010 (4-year OS, 91% compared with 73% and 65%). In the non-ASCT group, greatest gains were after 2005 (4-year OS, 38%, 32%, and 16%). Fewer patients died within 6 months of diagnosis in the 2 later periods (24% vs 25% vs 37%; P < .001). Overall, outcomes among patients with AL amyloidosis have improved with earlier diagnosis, higher rates of VGPR, lower early mortality, and improved OS.
•Significant improvement in outcome is a reality for newly diagnosed AL amyloidosis in the past decade.•Six-month mortality among transplant ineligible patients has declined since 2005.
Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals are more likely to experience mental health difficulties than cisgender individuals due to unique stressors related to their stigmatized gender ...identity and/or expression. This meta-analysis examined the associations between gender minority stressors and resilience factors, as measured by the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure (GMSR; Testa et al., 2015), and two types of mental health symptoms (i.e., depression and anxiety). A comprehensive literature search and study inclusion process following PRISMA guidelines identified 69 sources, representing 47 unique samples. Mean effect sizes revealed significant positive associations between all GMSR minority stress subscales and anxiety and depression symptoms (rs = .22 to .40) with larger correlations for proximal stressors compared to distal stressors. The GMSR resilience subscales were significantly negatively correlated with anxiety and depression symptoms (rs = −.07 to −.16). These findings highlight the robust relationship between gender minority stressors and mental health symptoms among TGD individuals and indicate a need for addressing these stressors both by reducing exposure to external stressors and by addressing the internalization of those stressors in clinical settings. The small effects for the resilience subscales suggest a need to examine additional resilience factors that may be more pertinent to mental health among TGD individuals.
Preliminary evidence suggests social anxiety may increase the risk of sexual victimization via decreased sexual assertiveness. A sample of 2,043 undergraduate students completed an online survey. ...Analyses of moderated indirect effects examined whether gender or ethnicity moderated the indirect effect of social anxiety on sexual victimization via sexual assertiveness. No moderation effects were found, but the indirect effect of social anxiety on sexual victimization via sexual assertiveness was significant for all five types of sexual victimization. Clinically, the findings suggest that sexual assault risk reduction programs may be improved by including assertive resistance strategies and behavioral rehearsals.
Advances in the understanding of disease biology, drug development, and supportive care have led to improved outcomes in multiple myeloma. Given that these improvements have been reported in clinical ...trial and referral center populations, questions remain about the generalizability of this observation to patients treated in the community. Contrasting the overall survival experience of 3783 patients seen at Mayo Clinic and 57,654 patients followed in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) between 2004 and 2018, we observed different mortality trends across patient populations and subgroups. Early mortality decreased and estimated 5-year overall survival increased over time in both patient populations. Excess mortality (compared to the general population) declined over time in Mayo Clinic patients and remained largely unchanged in SEER patients. Improvements over time were primarily observed in patients with favorable disease characteristics and older patients with multiple myeloma remain a vulnerable population with significant excess mortality compared to the United States general population. Patients with unfavorable disease characteristics have derived disproportionately less benefit from recent advances in the field. Future efforts need to focus on the development of safe and effective therapies for these patients and on increasing timely access to specialized care for patients in the community.
Unacknowledged rape, defined as when an individual experiences an event that meets a legal or empirical definition of rape but the individual does not label it as such, is prevalent. Research ...examining predictors of rape acknowledgment is needed. Sexual assertiveness may be an important variable to consider, as an individual's typical behavior during sexual situations may influence rape acknowledgment. To assess the indirect effect of rape myth acceptance on rape acknowledgment through sexual refusal assertiveness, an online survey of 181 female rape survivors was conducted. The indirect effects of two types of rape myths (He didn’t mean to and Rape is a deviant event) were significant and positive. Specifically, acceptance of these two rape myths was negatively related to sexual refusal assertiveness, which was negatively associated with likelihood of rape acknowledgment. The results of this study indicate that sexual refusal assertiveness is associated with lower likelihood of rape acknowledgment among rape survivors. As a result, it appears that, under certain circumstances, women high in rape myth acceptance may be more likely to acknowledge rape when it results in decreased sexual refusal assertiveness.
•Rape acknowledgment (RA) is associated with post-trauma outcomes.•Research examining predictors of RA is needed.•Rape myth acceptance (RMA) and sexual assertiveness (SA) are possible predictors.•Positive indirect effects of two types of RMA on RA through SA were found.•Acceptance of some rape myths may increase likelihood of RA via decreased SA.
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