Essay On Rape Trauma Syndrome

According to “Rape Trauma Syndrome” an article published in the American Journal of Sexuality Education written by Tammi A. Tannura, “Every year in the United States, there are over 207,000 victims of sexual assault. Additionally 1 out of 6 American women and 1 in 33 American men has had an experience that qualified as complete or sexual in their lifetime.” This quote means that every year someone is a victim of sexual assault. Also written in this article, “Lastly, take into consideration that 15% of sexual assault survivors are under age 12, and 29% are between 12-17 years of age. With the 12-34 year old age group being at the highest risk, it's important to be aware of the possible physical, social, and emotional aftermath of sexual assault.” That is a considerable number of people who may experience physical trauma. The physical trauma caused to rape victims will occasionally lead to the post-traumatic stress disorder known as rape trauma syndrome. …show more content…
Burgess, “The legal definition of rape varies from state to state; however the issues generally addressed include lack of consent, force of threat and sexual penetration. The clinical definition of rape trauma -focus on this paper- is the stress response pattern of the victim following forced, non-consenting sexual activity” Being forcibly raped or being raped in general may lead to a victim undergoing the symptoms of rape trauma syndrome. Rape trauma syndrome is categorized as a post-traumatic stress disorder in which victims may experience emotional grief. In “Rape Trauma Syndrome” by Tammi A. Tannura, “Rape trauma syndrome, the aftermath of a sexual assault, is a cluster of symptoms or behaviors experienced by survivors of sexual assault, though not all survivors will experience all