ArticlePsychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy2026
Correlates of psychological distress and posttraumatic growth in survivors of sexual violence.
Article in Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
objectiveSexual victimization is highly prevalent among college women and is linked to significant psychological distress. Yet, some survivors also report posttraumatic growth (PTG) or positive psychological change following adversity. Social reactions to disclosure of sexual victimization are critical determinants of survivors' recovery, but mechanisms explaining their influence on both distress and growth remain underexplored.
methodGuided by resilience theory, this study examined coping, emotion regulation, and social support as mediators linking social reactions to disclosure with psychological distress and PTG. Participants were 241 cisgender college women (ages 18-24) in Massachusetts and Rhode Island who reported sexual victimization and disclosure. Participants completed validated measures of disclosure reactions, coping, emotion regulation, social support, psychological distress, and PTG through an online survey. Path analysis tested indirect associations among variables.
resultsTurning-against reactions were indirectly associated with greater psychological distress via lower emotion regulation and with lower PTG via reduced social support. Positive social reactions were indirectly associated with higher PTG through greater coping and social support. Unsupportive acknowledgment reactions were not significantly related to distress or PTG.
conclusionsFindings demonstrate that disclosure reactions can either exacerbate distress or foster growth, depending on their quality. Emotion regulation, coping, and social support emerged as key mechanisms linking disclosure experiences to survivors' outcomes. Results underscore the importance of preparing both informal and formal support providers to respond supportively to disclosures and suggest that interventions targeting survivors' coping, social support, and emotion regulation may reduce distress and promote growth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
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