Women with a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and/or adolescent-adult sexual assault (ASA) can have different trauma-related symptom presentations in early adulthood, but the role of coping resources in mitigating victimization-related distress is understudied. Thus, the present study examined women with sexual victimization histories by developmental period (CSA-only, ASA-only, or CSA + ASA) and the role that mindfulness and emotion regulation play as coping resources that may buffer against post-traumatic stress. Participants were 247 cisgender community women aged 21-30 recruited for a larger study on high-risk drinking and sexual behaviors. Negative binomial regression models revealed significant differences in PTSS severity by victimization pattern: CSA + ASA was associated with the greatest PTSS severity, followed by ASA-only, and CSA-only reporting the lowest severity. Though no buffering effects were found, emotion regulation and mindfulness were directly associated with lower PTSS severity across all victimization patterns. Results indicate the need for targeted interventions for those who have experienced both CSA and ASA. Findings also suggest that improving mindfulness and emotion regulation may be beneficial, though not sufficient, for recovery following sexual victimization regardless of victimization pattern. Future interventions could prioritize increasing coping resources to reduce distress for victim-survivors of sexual victimization.

The relationship between sexual victimization and communication is crucial to examine, given research suggesting that effective and frequent communication about sexual activities helps facilitate safer sex behaviors, sexual functioning, and pleasure. Building on prior studies in this area, which tend to focus on assertiveness, the current study examines childhood sexual abuse (CSA), adolescent/adulthood sexual assault (ASA), and communication frequency across three domains: safer sex behaviors, sexual interests, and consent/boundaries. The sample consisted of 422 sexually-active undergraduates recruited from four U.S. universities (Mage = 19.77; 76.5% women). Moderation analyses revealed that more severe ASA was associated with more frequent communication about safer sex and consent, but only for those with a history of CSA. The elevated frequency of communication following more severe and repeated sexual victimization may highlight survivors' resilience in having ongoing conversations about safety in sexual situations.

Recent research has shown that sex-related drinking motives—motivations to drink to cope with sex-related distress or enhance sex—are associated with increased risk for negative sexual consequences. Limited research suggests that difficulties with emotion regulation and distress tolerance as well as self-objectification are associated with increased drinking motives. However, it remains unclear how emotion regulation and distress tolerance influence the relationship between sexual self-objectification (a subset of self-objectification) and sex-related drinking motives in college women. The current study examined main and interactive effects of sexual self-objectification, emotion regulation difficulties, and distress tolerance abilities on both coping and enhancement sex-related drinking motives. College women (N = 351) recruited from four US universities completed a one-time online survey. Results demonstrated that women with greater sexual self-objectification tendencies were more motivated to drink to cope with sex-related distress and to drink to enhance sex. Moreover, the positive association between sexual self-objectification and drinking to cope with sex-related distress motives was strongest for women with high levels of distress tolerance compared to women with low levels of distress tolerance. These findings may help inform the design and implementation of programs on college campuses where alcohol use and risky sexual behavior are prevalent.

How survivors label victimization experiences that meet the definition of sexual assault can change over time. The current study more closely examines how and why survivors' labeling of victimization experiences changes over time. Participants were 380 college students (83.7% cisgender women) with a history of sexual assault victimization since age 14. Participants reported the extent to which they considered their most recent sexual victimization experience to be sexual assault one-month post-assault (i.e., retrospectively) and currently (i.e., during participation), then explained their reasons for label changes via open-ended responses. Over half (56.0%) of participants were consistent in their labeling across timepoints, 36.1% increased the extent to which they labeled the experience a sexual assault, and 7.9% decreased the extent to which they labeled the experience a sexual assault. Notably, queer (i.e., LGBTQ+) survivors evidenced the greatest labeling change, and cisgender heterosexual men survivors evidenced the lowest current sexual assault labeling. Using qualitative content analysis, we identified five reasons for broad label change by participants: 1) meaning-making, 2) attributions, 3) (un)certainty, 4) assault characteristics, and 5) emotional and cognitive consequences. These findings demonstrate that survivors' use of the label sexual assault can decrease over time, and that reasons for broad label change are influenced by event-, individual-, interpersonal-, and societal-level factors. Individuals who support sexual assault survivors are encouraged to recognize that labeling can be a flexible, bidirectional process and validate survivors' evolving perceptions of their victimization experiences.

Objective: Couse of alcohol and cannabis is associated with negative mental health and social-behavioral problems, but daily mood or affect-related predictors of such use are not well understood. Sexual minoritized women (SMW) report significant substance use disparities related to sexual minority stress, yet little is known about daily associations between substance use (alcohol or cannabis used independently or concurrently) and affect or how those associations may be moderated by sexual identity. We examined whether daily positive or negative affect was associated with use of alcohol only, cannabis only, or concurrent (i.e., same-day) use and whether those associations varied by sexual identity (SMW vs. heterosexual; bisexual vs. lesbian or heterosexual). Method: Women (N = 246; 18-35 years; 88 lesbian, 84 bisexual, 74 heterosexual) completed once-daily surveys for consecutive 12 weeks. Results: Mixed-effects multinomial logistic regression analyses found that alcohol only and concurrent use were more likely on days when women reported greater positive affect, and this association was stronger for heterosexual than SMW. Women who reported higher mean negative affect were more likely to report cannabis use (but not alcohol or concurrent use) on a given day. SMW were more likely than heterosexual women to report alcohol only and concurrent use days, with bisexual women more likely than heterosexual women to report concurrent use days. Conclusions: Additional research is needed to understand intervening mechanisms in relationships between affect and substance use at the daily level among SMW. Results are needed to inform intervention efforts to reduce substance use in this population.

Objective: The present study aimed to compare post-traumatic stress symptom (PTSS) severity for three victimization profiles: childhood sexual abuse (CSA)-only, adulthood sexual assault (ASA)-only, and CSA + ASA. Additionally, the study examined the role that resilience variables–mindfulness and emotion regulation–play in the association between victimization timing and PTSS severity.Method: Participants were 247 cisgender community women aged 21-30 recruited for a larger study on high-risk drinking and sexual behaviors. Victimization history was assessed using the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory and Sexual Experiences Survey-Revised. PTSS severity was measured with the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5. Emotion regulation and mindfulness were evaluated using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-36 and Southampton Mindfulness Questionnaire, respectively. Negative binomial regression models tested the hypotheses.Results: Analyses revealed significant differences in PTSS severity by victimization timing: CSA + ASA was associated with the greatest PTSS severity, followed by ASA-only, and CSA-only reporting the lowest severity. Mindfulness and emotion regulation were directly associated with reduced PTSS severity across all victimization profiles. Conclusions: Revictimization was linked to the most severe PTSS, underscoring the need for targeted interventions. Mindfulness and emotion regulation were associated with reduced PTSS severity, regardless of victimization timing. Future interventions could prioritize enhancing psychological skills, like mindfulness and emotion regulation, to reduce distress for victim-survivors of sexual victimization.

Objective: This study examined the impact of skill utilization on alcohol use outcomes following a brief mobile-based intervention among heavy-drinking college women with sexual assault histories. Method: Participants were heavy drinking college women with sexual assault histories (N = 77) who were randomized as part of a larger study to complete a 14-d intervention that included modules focused on emotion regulation (ER) and alcohol reduction strategies. Alcohol outcomes were assessed immediately post-treatment and at 1- and 6-month follow-ups, measuring both weekly drinking and heavy episodic drinking. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression models evaluated the relationship between both ER skills and alcohol reduction strategies utilization and alcohol outcomes over time. Results: Greater average utilization of alcohol reduction strategies was associated with a lower likelihood of exceeding the recommended weekly drinking limit across follow-ups. However, whereas greater average ER skill utilization was linked to reduced heavy drinking, within-person increases in ER skill utilization over time were paradoxically associated with a higher likelihood of heavy drinking at the 6-month follow-up. Conclusions: These findings suggest that skill utilization is a key factor driving intervention efficacy, with alcohol reduction strategies potentially offering consistent protection against heavy drinking over time. However, the complex relationship between ER skill usage and heavy drinking warrants further investigation. This study underscores the importance of examining both the short- and long-term effects of skill utilization to enhance mobile-based interventions aimed at reducing risky alcohol use among vulnerable populations.

Self-objectification occurs when women view themselves from an outsider's perspective, focusing on their appearance or reducing themselves to sexual objects. To examine internalized objectification, specifically of a sexual nature, we developed and psychometrically evaluated a measure, the Sexual Self-Objectification Scale. Initial validation occurred in Study 1, wherein 500 women who participated online via Amazon's Mechanical Turk were divided into two samples to examine the theorized factor structure (training sample, n = 250) and obtain validity evidence (validation sample, n = 250). In the training sample, item factor analysis supported a 17-item, two-factor measure, with one factor capturing self-concept and presentation, and the other capturing romantic/sexual partner-specific sexual self-objectification. In the validation sample, analyses confirmed the scale structure and supported construct validity via expected associations with related constructs (e.g., objectification, sexualization, sexism). Study 2 confirmed the scale structure with a sample of college women and evaluated test-retest reliability (confirmation sample, n = 355). Findings suggest that the Sexual Self-Objectification Scale is a psychometrically sound and distinct measure that can be used, among other things, to examine whether the tenets of objectification theory hold for sexually focused self-objectification. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Guided by the I3 Model, the present study examined the independent and interactive effects of intersectional distal and proximal minority stress (disinhibiting factors) and adaptive coping (inhibiting factor) on physical intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration in sexual and racial minoritized (SRM) adults. Method: Participants were 349 cisgender individuals (57% assigned female at birth) who identified with both a sexual and racial minoritized identity. They were recruited through an online panel service to complete a survey that assessed multiple SRM stressors, adaptive coping, and physical IPV perpetration. Results: A measurement model that included latent factors of intersectional distal and proximal minority stress and adaptive coping exhibited excellent fit. Hurdle negative binomial regression models indicated that (a) distal intersectional minority stress increased the odds of perpetrating physical IPV (OR = 2.48), (b) frequency of physical IPV perpetration was positively associated with both distal (IRR = 1.32) and proximal (IRR = 1.54) intersectional minority stress, and (c) the positive association between distal intersectional minority stress and frequency of physical IPV perpetration was significantly reduced at higher levels of adaptive coping. Conclusions: Based on a large sample of SRM adults, findings tentatively indicate that (a) distal and proximal intersectional minority stress increase risk for physical IPV, and (b) adaptive coping mitigates this risk for distal, but not proximal, intersectional minority stressors. Results provide preliminary evidence for integrating adaptive coping into culturally informed interventions designed to reduce negative health sequelae associated with intersectional minority stress, and IPV perpetration specifically, among SRM adults.

How survivors label a nonconsensual sexual experience (i.e. sexual assault labeling) has been linked to posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), but past cross-sectional research has been unable to determine the direction of this relation. To inform support approaches following sexual assault, we examined how sexual assault labeling and PTSS were related over time. We also examined the contextual factor of pre-assault trust in the perpetrator on these relations. Participants were 609 college student sexual assault survivors (aged 19 to 25) who completed an initial online survey and were invited to a follow-up survey 1 to 2 months later. When controlling for individual and assault-specific covariates, results of a cross-lagged panel model indicated that greater sexual assault labeling was associated with subsequent elevations in PTSS, and heightened PTSS was associated with subsequent increases in sexual assault labeling. Moreover, pre-assault trust in the perpetrator was a significant moderator. Specifically, participants who reported greater (vs. weaker) pre-assault trust demonstrated more stability in labeling between timepoints, stronger associations between labeling and later PTSS, and weaker relations between PTSS and later labeling. Findings supported a prospective, bidirectional relation between sexual assault labeling and PTSS and underscored the importance of pre-assault trust in the perpetrator, which may make such labeling uniquely distressing. Informal and formal support providers should be prepared for the distress that may be associated with using a sexual assault label, particularly when survivors trusted the perpetrator before the assault.

Objective: Exposure to potentially traumatic events is well-known to disrupt cognitions about the self. Among trauma-exposed college students, negative cognitions about the self can include low self-worth and heightened perception of behavioral control over outcomes (i.e., self-controllability), including overevaluation of self-control over weight, shape, and eating behaviors. Thus, posttraumatic cognitions may increase risk for eating pathology. These associations may be particularly heightened among those whose trauma was of a sexual nature, given the stigma and inaccurate rape myths that often place the blame on sexual violence survivors rather than perpetrators. Consistent with these possibilities, the present study tested whether sexual violence history moderated expected associations between lower self-worth and greater eating pathology and between greater self-controllability and eating pathology. Method: Participants were 1,303 trauma-exposed college students (71.6% cisgender women) who completed self-report measures. Two linear regression models were examined, controlling for gender identity and posttraumatic stress symptom severity. Results: As expected, more negative views toward the self were associated with greater eating pathology, and this association was stronger among college students who had experienced sexual violence compared with those who only experienced other trauma types. In contrast, beliefs about behavioral control over outcomes were unrelated to eating pathology regardless of trauma type. Conclusions: Findings point to low self-worth as a cognitive target for future research and clinical efforts aimed at addressing trauma-related distress and eating pathology concurrently, especially among individuals with a history of sexual violence.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and hazardous drinking have been linked to lower relationship satisfaction; however, few studies have evaluated these associations over time in a college sample. The current study aimed to examine within-person and between-person longitudinal main and interactive effects of self-reported PTSD symptoms and hazardous drinking on relationship satisfaction in a college sample. We further examined whether individual PTSD symptom clusters (i.e., re-experiencing, avoidance, hyperarousal, and emotional numbing) uniquely predicted relationship satisfaction. College students in current dating relationships ( N = 307; 71% cisgender women) completed online self-report measures assessing relationship satisfaction, PTSD symptoms, and hazardous alcohol use on four occasions across 12 months. Multilevel models revealed that students with more severe PTSD symptoms than average had lower relationship satisfaction (i.e., at the between-person level). Additionally, higher hazardous drinking at the between-person and within-person levels was associated with lower relationship satisfaction. When examining specific PTSD symptom clusters, results indicated only emotional numbing symptoms were negatively associated with relationship satisfaction at the between-person and within-person levels after controlling for other PTSD symptom clusters. Collectively, these results underscore the impact of within- and between-person individual differences in PTSD symptoms and hazardous drinking on romantic relationships in college student populations.

Young adult women report high condom use intentions, but inconsistent condom use. Cognitive appraisals during sexual encounters are important determinants of condom use decisions, but a nuanced understanding of what cognitions emerge during women's "hot states" (e.g., sexual arousal, alcohol intoxication) remains lacking. To address this gap, we examined women's heat of the moment cognitions in their own words using mixed methods. Young adult women (N = 503; Mage = 25.01, SDage = 2.66) were randomized to a beverage condition (alcohol or control), then read and responded to questions about an eroticized sexual scenario. The nature and strength of reasons for and against having sex were reported before and after learning no condom was available. Multilevel models revealed intoxicated participants were more likely to let the partner decide how far to go sexually than sober participants at both timepoints, but the strength of cognitive appraisals (reasons for, reasons against, and feeling conflicted) only differed between beverage conditions after knowledge of no condom. These results suggest alcohol myopia was evident in the presence of inhibition conflict. Content analysis of these reasons revealed multifaceted cognitions that changed upon learning there was no condom. Findings highlight cognitions to target through interventions and underscore the importance of both alcohol and situational context in decision making.

Objective: The present study aimed to compare post-traumatic stress symptom (PTSS) severity for three victimization profiles: childhood sexual abuse (CSA)-only, adult sexual assault (ASA)-only, and CSA + ASA. Additionally, the study examined the role that resilience variables–mindfulness and emotion regulation–play in the association between victimization timing and PTSS severity.Method: Participants were 247 cisgender community women aged 21-30 recruited for a larger study on high-risk drinking and sexual behaviors. Victimization history was assessed using the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory and Sexual Experiences Survey-Revised. PTSS severity was measured with the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5. Emotion regulation and mindfulness were evaluated using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-36 and Southampton Mindfulness Questionnaire, respectively. Negative binomial regression models tested the hypotheses.Results: Analyses revealed significant differences in PTSS severity by victimization timing: CSA + ASA was associated with the greatest PTSS severity, followed by ASA-only, and CSA-only reporting the lowest severity. Mindfulness and emotion regulation were directly associated with reduced PTSS severity across all victimization profiles. Conclusions: Revictimization was linked to the most severe PTSS, underscoring the need for targeted interventions. Mindfulness and emotion regulation may facilitate recovery by alleviating PTSS severity, regardless of victimization timing. Future interventions should prioritize enhancing psychological skills, like mindfulness and emotion regulation, to reduce distress for victim-survivors of sexual victimization.

To date, most sexual assault research has focused on specific perpetrator tactics, including verbal coercion, substance-related incapacitation, and force. Responding to recent calls to assess a broader range of nonconsensual sexual experiences, we examined the occurrence and outcomes of sexual assault without warning - when a perpetrator "just does" a behavior without giving a chance to say "no." Participants were 850 college students (Mage = 19.70; 70% cisgender women, 28% cisgender men, 2% transgender/gender expansive), including 38% (n = 325) who reported sexual assault since age 14. Among these survivors, 72% reported sexual assault without warning, including 18% for whom this was the only tactic experienced. Sexual assault without warning was most often used to obtain nonconsensual sexual contact (23% of the sample) but also attempted (11%) and completed penetration (13%). Relative to no such experience, sexual assault without warning was associated with more severe posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety, but fewer past-month drinks per week. Although more alcohol use and related consequences were better predicted by incapacitated sexual assault, sexual assault without warning was consistently associated with mental health problems. Findings support the integration of this tactic into sexual assault assessments for college students of diverse gender and sexual identities.

Evidence-based treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are underutilized by active duty service members in the United States. Social support may help service members overcome avoidance and facilitate treatment utilization. In turn, treatment utilization may improve social support. To evaluate these possibilities, the aim of the current study was to examine potential reciprocal associations between social support and treatment utilization among service members. Secondary analyses were conducted on a randomized controlled trial of 161 U.S. military service members with PTSD. Participants completed assessments of perceived social support and attendance at individual therapy sessions at baseline and 3- and 6-month follow-ups. To determine reciprocal relations between social support and treatment utilization, a Bayesian approach was used to estimate a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model with a two-part variable for treatment utilization (i.e., any therapy, and if so, dose). There were no between-person associations between average social support and treatment utilization. One prospective cross-lagged within-person association emerged as significant: social support at 3 months was negatively associated with any therapy use at 6 months; the model explained 26.1% of the variance in this observed variable. The findings revealed that low social support promoted subsequent treatment utilization, but such treatment did not lead to changes in social support. This suggests service members with PTSD may have been motivated to attend individual therapy in pursuit of social connection and support. Future research is needed to determine if reciprocal associations between various forms of social support and therapy utilization differ by treatment modality.

BACKGROUND:Alcohol use and its related consequences are a public health problem among young adults. Building upon efficacious personalized normative feedback interventions, dynamic norms can be used to highlight the decreasing prevalence of alcohol use over time among young adults' peers, thereby increasing their motivation to change drinking consistent with the trend. Because limited research has examined dynamic norms feedback interventions for alcohol use, we examined the acceptability and initial efficacy of such an intervention, and potential iatrogenic effects of showing norms feedback about drinking to light drinkers and nondrinkers. METHODS:Participants were 546 unvaccinated young adults ages 18-24 who completed a baseline survey, intervention, and 1-month follow-up assessment. Participants were block randomized to receive a brief web-based dynamic norms intervention, with feedback content focused on either (a) alcohol-related behaviors (intervention) or (b) COVID-19 vaccine behaviors (the attention-matched control for the present study). RESULTS:On average, participants who received the alcohol intervention rated it as generally engaging, helpful, and acceptable, with the majority (90.8%) indicating that they would recommend it to a friend. Supporting initial efficacy, in generalized linear models controlling for demographics and baseline alcohol outcomes, at 1-month follow-up the alcohol intervention was associated with statistically and clinically significant reductions in all indices of perceived drinking norms, drinking quantity, drinking frequency, and driving after drinking occasions. Lighter drinkers showed no adverse iatrogenic effects. CONCLUSIONS:Presenting alcohol-related personalized normative feedback using dynamic trends is a promising intervention for reducing alcohol use in a community sample of young adults. Further research clarifying the optimal presentation of dynamic norms is needed.

Objective: Women with sexual assault (SA) histories report heavier and more frequent drinking. Consistent with the motivational model of alcohol use, women with SA histories may consume alcohol to both downregulate negative emotions and upregulate positive ones. The present event-level study used a Bayesian multilevel moderated mediation approach to examine the extent to which women's alcohol use and intoxication was influenced by coping and enhancement drinking motives to downregulate or upregulate affect, respectively. Method: Women ages 21-30 were recruited from the community to participate in a larger study that included a 32-day daily diary assessment of affect, drinking motives, and alcohol use. Results: We found consistent support for women's tendencies to be motivated to drink to cope or enhance negative or positive affect, respectively, and those drinking motives were associated with indicators of increased drinking. Becoming intoxicated to downregulate negative emotion was common and this pathway was particularly strong for women who reported more severe SA histories. Although women with more severe SA histories were generally more likely to drink more, they were not likely to do so as a way to enhance positive experiences. Conclusions: Alcohol interventions that provide adaptive regulatory strategies are needed for women who experience increased negative or positive affect, with a particular focus on self-medication for young women with more severe SA histories. Clinical Impact Statement Results of the present study suggest that becoming intoxicated to cope with negative emotion is common among women with severe sexual assault histories. Although women with more severe SA histories were generally more likely to drink more, they were not likely to do so as a way to enhance positive experiences. Interventions to reduce alcohol consumption and associated intoxication levels that provide adaptive regulatory strategies are needed for young adult women with increased negative or positive affect.

Trauma exposure and mental health problems adversely affect work functioning. Sexual minority women are at increased risk for trauma exposure, depression, and PTSD. Sexual minority women also experience unique stressors related to their sexual orientation, which can directly impact work functioning. However, little research to date has examined the impact of trauma exposure and mental health problems among sexual minority women on their occupational outcomes. The goal of the current study was to examine whether trauma exposure, mental health problems, and minority stressors were associated with occupational functioning one year later in a large sample of young adult lesbian and bisexual women. The study utilized a subset of data (N = 304) from a larger longitudinal study on health risk behaviors among young adult lesbian and bisexual women. Results indicated that trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress, depression, and perceived heterosexism were each associated with subsequent work limitations, but after accounting for shared variance between predictors, only perceived heterosexism and depression were uniquely associated with subsequent work functioning. These findings highlight the roles of mental health and sexual orientation-related stress in the challenges that lesbian and bisexual women experience at work and point to a need for additional research to better understand risk and protective factors related to negative employment outcomes among lesbian and bisexual women.