Date of Completion
2022
Document Type
Honors College Thesis
Department
Psychology
Thesis Type
Honors College, College of Arts and Science Honors
First Advisor
Matthew Price
Second Advisor
Susan Fenstermacher
Third Advisor
Hyon Joo Yoo
Keywords
Social Support, Gratitude, PTSD, Sexual Violence Trauma, Stigma, Guilt, Shame, Moderated Mediation.
Abstract
Those who suffered from sexual trauma specifically have been documented to suffer more severe symptoms of depression, suicidal thoughts, PTSD, anxiety, etc. It is therefore considered to be one of the most damaging forms of trauma. This thesis describes the phenomenon in which the protective factors of social support and gratitude have diminished effects on PTSD symptoms from sexual assault trauma when compared to non-sexual assault trauma. These findings could pinpoint the aspect of sexual assault that leads to these recurring patterns in patients. The thesis will discuss the relevance of guilt and shame derived from the internalization of stigma with the findings of diminished protective effects. It is expected that guilt and shame should be focused on in-treatment models for victims of sexual assault with PTSD symptoms.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Kim, Julia N., "Differences in the Protective Relation Between Social Support, Gratitude, and PTSD Across Sexual and Non-Sexual Trauma" (2022). UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses. 473.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/473