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Mental Influences of Sexual Trauma on Victims: From the Results of an Investigation of Female College Students in Japan

NCJ Number
200208
Journal
Family Violence & Sexual Assault Bulletin Volume: 19 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2003 Pages: 12-26
Author(s)
Tomoko Ishii; Nozomu Asukai; Takako Konishi; Miwa Kojimoto; Junji Kishimoto
Date Published
2003
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This paper explores the mental health issues related to exposure to sexual trauma in Japan.
Abstract
The authors were concerned with examining the long-term deleterious effects on mental health following an experience of sexual victimization. The participants were 321 students at a women’s college in Tokyo, Japan. Each participant completed a questionnaire regarding experiences of sexual victimization and several psychological measures including the Symptom Checklist-90-R, the Stress Coping Inventory, and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised. Results indicated that 48 percent of the female students had experienced an incident of sexual victimization and, of these, 17 percent were classified as having experienced severe victimization. Symptoms of mental health problems were more prevalent and more severe in the group who experienced severe victimization compared to those who experienced only slight sexual victimization. Measures of anxiety, phobic anxiety, and traumatic stress symptoms were all significantly higher in the severe victimization group. These results are comparable to results obtained in other countries in similar studies. The results also indicate that sexual victimization in Japan is a serious social problem, one that requires a concerted governmental and community response.

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