Relation Between Sexual Assault and Negative Affective Conditions in Female College Students: Does Loss of Hope Account for the Association?

Chang E. C., Jilani Z., Yu T., Lin J., Muyan M., Hirsch J. K.

JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE, vol.32, no.8, pp.1249-1266, 2017 (SSCI) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 32 Issue: 8
  • Publication Date: 2017
  • Doi Number: 10.1177/0886260515588534
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.1249-1266
  • Keywords: female college students, sexual assault, hope, depressive symptoms, anxious symptoms, POSTTRAUMATIC-STRESS, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, EXPERIENCES, ALCOHOL, STRATEGIES, INVENTORY, EXTENSION, MODERATOR, SURVIVORS, THERAPY
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The present study examined dispositional hope as a potential mediator of the association between sexual assault and negative affective conditions, namely, depressive and anxious symptoms in a sample of 223 female college students. Results from conducting bootstrapped mediation analyses indicated that hope agency, but not hope pathways, mediated the link between sexual assault victimization and negative affective conditions in females. Importantly, the associations of sexual assault with both depressive and anxious symptoms remained highly significant independent of hope. Some implications of the present findings are discussed.