Journal article
Sexual and Physical Assault Before Age 18 and Young Adults' Perception of Unfair Treatment
Journal of interpersonal violence, Vol.37(11-12), pp.NP10296-NP10328
01/15/2021
DOI: 10.1177/0886260520985481
PMID: 33448237
Abstract
Research indicates that sexual and physical assault generate negative emotions of shame and anger, undermine self-esteem, and increase interpersonal sensitivity. This in turn may bring about behavioral changes and cognitive bias, which may adversely affect victims' social interactions. The purpose of this study was to examine whether sexual or physical assault before age 18 is associated with a heightened sense of being treated unfairly in early adulthood. A nationally representative sample of young adults age 18-21 (N = 2,770; 49% female) self-reported on whether they had ever been sexually or physically assaulted, whether it first occurred in childhood or adolescence, and how frequently they are treated unfairly in their everyday interactions with other people, as measured by the Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS). Multivariate regression results indicated that child (<= age 12) physical assault and adolescent-onset (age 13-17) physical assault were associated with higher scores on the EDS for both men and women. Child sexual assault was associated with the EDS for men; adolescent-onset sexual assault was associated with the EDS for women. Violence as a minor was associated with each item of the EDS (e.g., treated with less respect, less courtesy, other people act of afraid of you, etc.). Violence victims attributed their elevated levels of perceived unfair treatment to their gender, race, age, and aspects of their physical appearance. Overall, the results suggest a mechanism through which a history of sexual and physical assault can affect social interactions.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Sexual and Physical Assault Before Age 18 and Young Adults' Perception of Unfair Treatment
- Creators
- Amy C. Butler - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of interpersonal violence, Vol.37(11-12), pp.NP10296-NP10328
- Publisher
- Sage
- DOI
- 10.1177/0886260520985481
- PMID
- 33448237
- ISSN
- 0886-2605
- eISSN
- 1552-6518
- Number of pages
- 33
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 01/15/2021
- Academic Unit
- School of Social Work
- Record Identifier
- 9984307259302771
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