The Long-Term Effects Of Coping After Victimization

Once someone is raped they now must live with the long-term effects of their victimization. Some of the effects include PTSD, depression, panic disorders, and substance dependency. Society often doesn’t realize how much goes into a rape survivor being able to reinsert him or herself in society. Rape survivors often feel judged and embarrassed by what has happened to them when honestly they should be praised for experiencing something as horrific as rape and being able to survive and live a normal life lightly suffering from some of these long term effects. Males and females both suffer differently from the victimization, which is why women are more likely to cope with the situation whereas men will suppress the memory of ever being victimized.

Finding a way to cope after victimization can be one of the most challenging things to get through. Littleton and Breitkopf (2006) found that Negative sequelae that victims experience following rape may affect the coping strategies victims utilize (p.107). Negative stimuli can be related to how the police treat the victim after the rape or it can be the responses of others after disclosing the rape. Many victims suffer from self-blame they mention things like “I shouldn’t have gone out that late by myself.” Victims often find one of the best way to cope with victimization is counseling. Rape crisis counseling helps victims find a safe way to cope. They began by hearing the victim 's story so they can understand what type of treatment the victim needs. Male victims are less likely to seek help from counseling because of the shame and embarrassment they feel. Turner and Light (2010) found that majority of male survivors do not participate in counseling and those who seek help often do so long after the sexual assault or rape took place (p.256). Male victims are more hostile, angry, and depressed immediately after rape than female victims. That also relates to why men are less likely to report being victimized because they feel they will be judged and their masculinity make come into question. Since male rape often goes unrecognized there is a lack of services available for male survivors. So there is also a lack in knowing exactly how to cope in a positive way after sexual