Does acknowledgment as an assault victim impact postassault psychological symptoms and coping?

Psychological symptoms, abuse characteristics, abuse disability, and coping were assessed in college women who either did or did not acknowledge victim status relative to rape or intimate partner violence. Women were asked directly whether they had experienced intimate partner violence or rape. They also completed the Conflicts Tactic Scale (CTS) and the Sexual Experience Survey (SES). Participants were then classified into groups depending upon whether their answer, when directly asked, was consistent with their self-report on the CTS or SES. Overall, women who met the experiential criteria for either assault, but who did not acknowledge victimization, reported greater disability, more psychological symptoms, and impaired coping. This effect was particularly strong for the rape groups, where those who did not acknowledge victimization reported far more psychological distress, disability, and impaired coping than controls and other victim groups. The authors discuss the results in terms of their methodological implications for studies of assault victims and in terms of the clinical implications for victim identification and treatment.