Sexual Assault, Perceived Stigma, and Christian Fundamentalism: Understanding Support Seeking Among Victims.

<p>For women, sexual assault is a widespread problem with numerous psychological consequences, yet many victims do not seek support. The present study investigates this lack of support seeking in the context of stigma. It is hypothesized that sexual assault victims who perceive themselves as stigmatized (due to their status as a sexual assault victim) will be less likely to seek support than those who do not perceive themselves as stigmatized. It is also hypothesized that Christian fundamentalism will play a role in the stigmatization of sexual assault victims, with higher degrees of fundamentalism being associated with greater likelihood of self-perceptions of stigmatization among sexual assault victims. Results indicate that there is a relationship between perceived stigma and certain support sources (clergy, parents, and other relatives), but this relationship is positive. The hypothesized relationship between Christian fundamentalism and perceived stigma was partially supported.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

MA (Master of Arts)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis - unrestricted

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Rife, Sean Chandler

• Christian Fundamentalism
• Sexual Assault
• Stigma
• Support Seeking
• Psychology
• Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Social Psychology

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright by the authors.

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1886

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dc.etsu.edu:etd-3238