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Current Sexual Health Reports
Published in: Current Sexual Health Reports 1/2019

01-03-2019 | Rape | Female Sexual Dysfunction and Disorders (T Lorenz and R Nappi, Section Editors)

Sexual Violence Identification and Women’s Sexual Well-Being

Authors: Chelsea D. Kilimnik, Cindy M. Meston

Published in: Current Sexual Health Reports | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Many individuals with histories of nonconsensual sexual experiences (NSEs) do not identify their experiences with common sexual violence labels, such as “sexual abuse,” “rape,” or “sexual assault.” Understanding how identification of an NSE with these sexual violence labels may lead to sexual health outcomes will shed light on important underlying processes involved in reconciling one’s NSEs with one’s understanding of and experience with sexuality more broadly. In this review, we summarize the literature on sexual violence identification within the context of sexual well-being and reflect on the implications for identification within a changing climate of sexual violence awareness and discourse.

Recent Findings

The majority of the literature has focused on aspects of the NSEs that may increase the likelihood of the individual identifying the experience with sexual violence labels. While there has been some research on the sexual correlates of identification, the overall picture of whether or not identification facilitates sexual well-being remains unclear. The authors conclude that identification is likely an observable proxy for complex implicit processes of identity change and sexual self-schema formation.

Summary

Women’s identification of NSEs with various labels is related to characteristics of the experience itself, attributions about the experience, and preconceived notions of sex and sexual violence. While identification has been associated with some positive outcomes (e.g., less self-blame), it has also been related to negative outcomes (e.g., greater sexual distress). Further research into the cognitive and affective processes involved in construing and identifying NSEs is warranted, particularly in the wake of the #MeToo era.
Footnotes
1
While sexual violence is experienced by men, non-binary, and transgender individuals as well, the focus of the current article is on women. This is, in part, because NSEs and NSE identification have been researched most comprehensively in this population and because potentially confounding sociocultural factors that apply to these different groups of individuals (e.g., women, men, gender non-conforming individuals) vary.
 
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Metadata
Title
Sexual Violence Identification and Women’s Sexual Well-Being
Authors
Chelsea D. Kilimnik
Cindy M. Meston
Publication date
01-03-2019
Publisher
Springer US
Keyword
Rape
Published in
Current Sexual Health Reports / Issue 1/2019
Print ISSN: 1548-3584
Electronic ISSN: 1548-3592
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11930-019-00186-y

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