The Personal Impact of Sexual Crimes
| Author | Judith Daylen, Wendy van Tongeren Harvey, and Dennis O'Toole |
| Pages | 35-68 |
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e Personal Impact of Sexual Crimes
Vignette Two
A sixty-ve- year-old man, Tony, exposes his penis to a fty- four-year-old
woman, Liz, while she is working in a retail store. Followin g this event, Liz
develops anxiety and depression, conditions serious enough to interfere
with her ability to work. She no longer fe els safe, although she had previ-
ously been very comfortab le and secure in the store. She is preoccupied
with thoughts of the oender and feels that he specically targeted her.
These emotions and thoughts do not subside and they keep h er from re-
turning to her job. Her co-worker s, some of whom also saw Tony’s penis,
are puzzled at what they see as Liz’s extre me reaction to a relatively minor
event and some suspect she is exaggerating he r symptoms to get time o
work. People make remarks to the ee ct that she should “just get over it.”
Liz believes this herself; she feels inade quate and weak because she can-
not put the experience behind her. These negative thoughts and feelings
increase her depression and anxiety to the point where she feels in n eed
of professional help.
about the ways that sexual
crimes can aect you. is discussion is not an exhaustive examination
of psychological dynamics but a conceptual framework on which you can
build an understanding of your experiences and their social/emotional im-
pact. You will learn that there is no “normal” response to sexual assault,
as each of us brings a unique history and perspective to such ordeals. A
broader underst anding of your exper iences can help reduce anxiety about
what is norma l or abnormal, ca n improve your coping abi lity, and can help
you deal more e ectively with stres s caused by legal s ystem.
36 , ,
During the last three decades, k nowledge about how sexual assault and
childhood sexual abuse aects victims and their families has greatly ex-
panded. e pioneering work of Ann Burgess and her colleagues in the
mid s raised awareness of the tremendous impact that sexual assault
can have. By the s, knowledge about the prevalence and the impact
of childhood sexual abuse had grown. Over the last few decades, new in-
formation has continued to accumulate, increasing our understanding of
the nature and impact of sexual crimes. Below we have summarized rel-
evant research data and clinical experience in an attempt to reduce the
misconceptions and confusion that can occur around such an emotionally
charged subject. Misunderstandings can occ ur if information in this chap-
ter is taken out of context or read piecemeal, so we advise you to read the
complete chapter before making any personal decisions or judgments.
SHARED AND UNIQ UE REACTIONS
and the upcoming chapters, and thin k about the way a
sexual crime has aec ted you, you should be alert to some important issues.
ere is no single, telling response or set of responses to a sexual assault.
People may share reactions that are similar to those of others and have some
reactions that are uniquely their own. Consequently, as is true with most
important life experiences, you will nd that the road to understanding and
resolution is partly a road travelled by others and partly a journey uniquely
your own. What follows is not an exhaustive exploration of the impact of
sexual crimes; it is an overview to help people understand the breadth and
complexity of potential psychological, physical, and social consequences.
Below are four central principles you should take into consideration when
trying to understand your experiences and reactions to sexual abuse:
ere are wide ranging emotional consequences.
Psychological problems can have many causes.
Emotional eects tend to shi and change over time.
It is important to ask, “Does this symptom truly apply to me?”
A wide range of consequences
a person in a variety of ways, and we list some
of the possible c onsequences below. e presence or absence of distressing
Chapter 2: The Personal I mpact of Sexual Crimes 37
symptoms depends on many factors, such as the severity of the assault, re-
lationship of victim to the assailant, passage of time, a nd personality char-
acteristics and history of the victim. ere is no specic “sy ndrome” caused
by sexual crimes. Instead, there is wide variability in personal responses.
Bear this in mind as you read this chapter, and avoid stereotyping yourself
or others as having to conform to a predetermined notion of a “sexual as-
sault victim.” You may identify with a few, many, or none of the potential
problems in the following list:
Physica l injuries
Chronic pai n
Wide-ranging fears, including phobias
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms
Panic attacks
Mood swings and depression
Suicidal thou ghts
Low self-esteem or altered self-concept
Guilt
Shame
Anger, hostility, and/or aggression
Eating disorders
Substance abuse
Doubts about sexual orientation
Sexua l dysfunction or prom iscuity
Problems in intimate relationships
Distrust of others
Changes in perception of the world
Some individuals will be extremely damaged and debilitated by their
sexual victimization. For some, reading and discussing these dicult
topics will not be an option at this point in their life. ey may not be able
to concentrate or suciently process the necessary information. For others,
their emotional turmoil may overwhelm their ability to cope. It is a sad re-
ality that those who have been most psychologically damaged a re oen the
least able to seek redress in either criminal or civil court. It is also the case
that severe psychological diculties can sometimes be used against sexua l
assault victims to discredit their evidence. However, there are steps you can
take to lessen this possibility, and we will address these.
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