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Annotated Bibliography

Sexual Harassment and Assault and the Silence of Victims

Claire Savage

Professor Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1104

3/16/18
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Annotated Bibliography
Peter-Hagene, Liana C. and Sarah E. Ullman. "Longitudinal Effects of Sexual Assault Victims’
Drinking and Self-Blame on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder." Journal of Interpersonal
Violence, vol. 33, no. 1, Jan. 2018, pp. 83-93. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1177/0886260516636394. Accessed 11 Mar. 2018

This peer reviewed article in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence discusses the
long-term effects sexual assault has on the victims. In a study involving 1,013 sexual
assault survivors, researchers were trying to figure out if heavy drinking prior to the
assault lead to a higher chance of PTSD and self-blame. The article discusses that society
often blames the victims if they were involved in “risky behaviors” such as drinking. In a
cross-sectional study with the original 1,013 participants, researchers studied 340 college
victims and found drinking prior to the attack and self-blame were correlated. The results
concluded that women who had been drinking prior to the assault tended to blame
themselves and had the mindset that if they had not been drinking, the event would have
never happened. However, the study also found that victims who were drinking did not
suffer longer from PTSD than someone who was sober. It was theorized this was the case
because assaults where the victim was not intoxicated tend to be more violent compared
to when alcohol was involved. Victims who had experienced a sober assault suffered
longer but had less self-blame. The article goes on to theorize that the correlation
between self-blame and drinking but not with sober assaults is due to the fact that sober
victims were in the right mind and were more aware they did not do anything to put
themselves in the position to be assaulted. Intoxicated victims on the other hand were not
clear minded and see their decision to drink and put themselves in that state is the reason
they were left vulnerable.

The first author of this publication is Dr. Liana C. Peter-Hagene. She is a

professor of psychology at Southern Illinois University. She has a Ph.D. in Social and
Personality Psychology and has more than 10 publications related to her research on
Social and Personality Psychology. The second author is Dr. Sarah E. Ullman. She is also
a professor of Psychology as well as Criminology, and Law and Justice at the University
of Illinois. From 2010-2015 she was the Director of the Office of Social Science
Research. The publication is funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism. I believe this source was very reliable due to the extensive research done.
The data found was for a large majority of collegiate age participants and others above
and below that age range. It was also a study conducted over three years which is a
reliable time period to test for PTSD and any changes that might occur in its intensity in
the victim. This is an academic publication meant to inform about the effects of sexual
assault. The reading level is more sophisticated and is most likely for young adults and
older.

I found this article very useful because the purpose of my research is to find out
why victims wait to come forward or don’t come forward at all. The data in this study
shows that many victims blame themselves. According to the research done, 31% of the
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women in the study had been drinking prior to the event. The correlation between self-
blame and drinking were tested to be positive, so if victims are blaming themselves rather
than blaming their attacker, they are less likely to come forward about the event or
events. This gives me actual data that backs up a reasoning why victims won’t come
forward or why they wait.

Hackman, Christine L., et al. "Slut-Shaming and Victim-Blaming: A Qualitative Investigation of

Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions of Sexual Violence." Sex Education, vol. 17, no. 6,
Nov. 2017, pp. 697-711. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/14681811.2017.1362332. Accessed 11
Mar. 2018

This is a peer reviewed journal that discusses sexual violence and abuse has
become a substantial issue on college campuses across America. Women are specifically
targeted, though while a male front is also presented. This article describes a study which
explores the causes and effects of sexual harassment in addition to the demographics,
‘typologies’, and other subcategories within this very wide topic. Within the tragedy that
has become this trend of abuse, slut shaming has become popular. This puts the blame on
the victim, when they were not necessarily at fault. Family has been proven through this
study to show their importance and influence, especially on young children, and how they
may act differently today based upon the way they were raised. Family also affects the
perpetrators themselves. A general description or ‘type’ has been associated, though this
may or may not hold true in all cases, and their actions and personalities stem from the
way in which they were raised. A huge issue and debate sweeping the nation is social
media, and how it is affecting our youth; these networks may also play a role in the
position of the victim. Among college students, sexual activity and behavior is something
that becomes part of life for those that choose it, and unfortunately also for some who
don’t.
Christine L Hackman earned her PhD from the University of Alabama and is now
an assistant professor of California Polytechnic University. Stuart L Usdan earned his
PhD also from the University of Alabama and is now a professor of health sciences there.
Based on the credibility of the authors and the audience it is geared towards, this
academic source is clearly reliable. The college generation needs articles and journals
like this, backed up by studies and psychological research, to gain confidence about
coming forward, and also how to handle themselves in the future. Because of those
writing this article and also the overall credibility of the journal, this source is
trustworthy.
This is useful because at college ages are where a lot of societal pressures are put
on them, and often they will come out later about their tragic experience, so the goal of
this journal is to examine the perception of actions on peers, families and outsiders. In the
college campus setting, students may be hesitant or scared to come forward due to of
sense of security, knowledge and resources.

Flanagan, Andrew. “Sexual Harassment In Nashville Spurs A New Bill To Extend Protections
To Artists.” NPR, NPR, 21 Feb. 2018,
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www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2018/02/21/587322810/sexual-harassment-in-nashville-
spurs-a-new-bill-to-extend-protections-to-artists. Accessed 11 Mar. 2018

This news article articulates the difficulties of those in the music industry,
especially women, who have been sexually harassed. A lot of times, this is forced upon
them in order to increase the popularity of their music. There have been efforts to reduce
this occurrence of sexual assault, specifically in Tennessee, where they passed a bill to
include the protection of contract workers. The bill now covers music artists as well as
employees in businesses. Though this bill now offers safety to those working with music,
it is still difficult for artists to argue their sexual assault. There were no changes made to
what qualifies as assault at the federal level. Therefore, it made some cases difficult to
determine, and ultimately did not always serve as a successful means of help.
This article proves reliable because of the many qualifications of the author,
Andrew Flanagan. Some of which include professional writing experience since 2010, as
well as being a news editor at NPR music for over a year. He has covered the global
music business for a year and a half, demonstrating the vast amount of research he has
done. The audience is anyone who is interested in the topic. I liked this source because it
has a more opinionated point-of-view that appeals to mine, someone who is interested in
backing victims and voicing them.
I found this article useful because my interest in this topic sparked with the
Olympic gymnastics scandal involving Larry Nassar. Many people in the spotlight,
whether in sports or entertainment, fall victim to these types of assault. Many times, like
this article further explained, their careers are threatened, and they are faced without a
choice. They are often pressured to remain quiet and not speak up in light of not losing all
of the dedication put into where they are now.

“Prevalence and Characteristics of Sexual Violence, Stalking, and Intimate Partner Violence
Victimization,National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, United States,
2011.” Prevalence and Characteristics of Sexual Violence, Stalking, and Intimate
Partner Violence Victimization,National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey,
United States, 2011 | National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), Centers For
Disease Control and Prevention, 5 Sept. 2014,
www.nsvrc.org/publications/articles/prevalence-and-characteristics-sexual-violence-
stalking-and-intimate-partner. Accessed 11 Mar. 2018

This website discusses the prevalence of sexual violence and assault in the United
States. In a year-long study, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)
conducted a survey involving 14,155 participants that found in the U.S. an estimated
19.3% of women and 1.7% of men had been raped in their lifetime. In addition, 43.9% of
women and 23.4% of men had experienced other types of sexual assault in their lifetimes.
Using the data they had collected from the sample size of the survey, they used the results
to conclude nationally what these statistics would look like. The experiences recorded
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included, but were not limited to, unwanted contact sexually, penetration, and unwanted
noncontact experiences. The survey concluded and preceded to show that almost half of
the women in the U.S. have experienced some sort of sexual assault in their lifetime and
almost ¼ of the male population have as well. Partnered with the CDC, The NSVRC
discussed how future action can be taken to decrease these statistics. They hope that with
publications like these they can bring awareness to how often these events happen so
witnesses are no longer bystanders. They also hope to have parents and other adults
encourage and promote healthy relationships and positive behaviors for their children at
young ages before their first relationships. They hope this will reduce violence within
their relationships.
The credibility of this website comes from the fact that it is a government run
organization. This website is also partnered with the CDC and has conducted extensive
research on a large sample of Americans. I feel the quality of this survey is very reliable
and it covers a large population area. Compared with other sources in my bibliography,
this is more revolved around showing data rather than explaining the results. Being
government run, the raw data is there to just show statistics rather than formulate an
opinion like other academic journals and news sources.
This source is very helpful with my topic because it shows how prevalent sexual
abuse and assault is in the United States. This will help when trying to compare sexual
assaults and how many are reported. In further research, I can use this data to see if these
two subjects present a positive or negative correlation. The data shown has made me
more interested in the topic because it is much more of an issue than I initially thought.
The percentage of men and women who have experienced this is much higher than
anticipated and motivates me to find more. It has also made me form some disgust that
there has not been more done to help victims and prevent future abuse and assault due to
the fact that sexual assault still has not been clearly defined by our government.