The Impact of Social Support and Negative Disclosure Reactions on Sexual Assault Victims: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Investigation

Social support is an important factor in posttrauma adjustment. However, little research has simultaneously evaluated helpful and harmful aspects of support on victims' post-assault adjustment, as well as the relationships among these variables over time. The current study evaluated perceived support and negative disclosure reactions as predictors of post-assault factors in a sample of 262 college rape victims. Of these women, 74 completed a 6-month follow-up. Analyses suggested that perceived support and negative disclosure reactions may play unique roles in victims' adjustment. Implications for future research examining the role of different aspects of support in posttrauma recovery are discussed.