Sexual violence, coping self-efficacy, and attachment as predictors of posttraumatic stress in emerging adults
- WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Jessie Elizabeth Phillips (Creator)
- Institution
- Western Carolina University (WCU )
- Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
- Advisor
- Kia Asberg
Abstract: Interpersonal trauma (e.g., intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and childhood abuse) can play a significant role on one’s mental representations of the self and others (Fowler et al., 2013; Sandberg et al., 2009). A substantial number of individuals are exposed to potentially life-threatening events through the course of their lives (27%; Shors & Millon, 2016), and yet they are able to persevere and cope with the trauma (i.e., they evidence resilience; Bonanno, 2008). Similarly, one may expect that a person with a history of sexual victimization would develop a negative schema about the world and self; however, research suggests only 8 to 15 percent of individuals experience persistent posttraumatic stress (PTS; Bistricky et al., 2017). The discrepancy between the significant number of people who have experienced trauma, including sexual violence, and those who develop PTS and other adverse outcomes suggests the presence of buffering variables that impact or explain the association. Two such variables are coping self-efficacy and attachment security (Altan-Atalay & Sohtorik Ilkmen, 2020). For example, adult attachment partially mediated the relationship between past interpersonal trauma and depression severity (Fowler et al., 2008), while Cieslak et al. (2008) found that coping self-efficacy mediated the effects of negative cognitions on posttraumatic distress. Likewise, reviews (e.g., Mikulincer et al., 2015) generally concluded that “insecure attachment appears to increase vulnerability for developing posttraumatic stress symptoms” (Barazzone et al., 2019, p. 140). The interplay among attachment styles and coping self-efficacy expectancies in the prediction of PTS is less understood, especially in the context of sexual violence.
Sexual violence, coping self-efficacy, and attachment as predictors of posttraumatic stress in emerging adults
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Created on 4/1/2022
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Language: English
- Date: 2022
- Keywords
- Attachment security, Coping self-efficacy, Posttraumatic stress, Sexual violence
- Subjects
- Sex crimes
- Sexual abuse victims
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Attachment behavior
- Self-efficacy