THE CRISIS IMPACT OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ON THREE VICTIM GROUPS

The traumatizing effect of rape and other forms of sexual assault on the victim has been documented in a variety of recent studies. The diversity of these studies with respect to their samples, data collcction methods, and measurement procedures makes it difficult to specify with precision (I) the effect of rape on adult vs. child victims, and (2) the cffect of rape vs. incestuous assault on child victims. The purpose of this research was to develop and apply a standardized assault impact assessment to a sample of victims admitted to a rape crisis treatment center. Three comparison groups compose the focus of this study: adult rape victims, child rape victims, and child incest victims. This article deals with the levels of trauma stemming from sexual assault in these groups and the implications of these findings for sexual assault treatment centers.