December 11, 2024 · University of Virginia

The experiences of legal and victim support providers with sexually assaulted females in rural areas.

Abstract segment: "Sexual assault research has focused almost exclusively on urban areas and overlooked issues specific to rural communities. Research examining the experiences of expert service providers is also nearly nonexistent. The purpose of this study was to add to the understanding of expert service provider’s experiences in working with sexually assaulted women in rural communities. Post sexual assault interventions are often multidisciplinary with victims encountering providers in judicial, medical and advocate roles. Secondary victimization theory suggests that the nature of post-assault expert interventions may have an adverse impact on sexual assault victims.

This study was a qualitative examination using hermeneutic phenomenology as its strategy of inquiry. The focus was to explore the lived experiences of providers regarding their interactions with sexual assault survivors living in rural communities. Data were gathered from 29 expert providers and included prosecutors, law enforcement, social workers, victim-witness associates and crisis center advocates. Data in the form of field notes, material culture and transcribed interviews were treated as texts and subjected to hermeneutic analysis."
Creator
Sandra Lee Annan
Publisher
University of Virginia
Date
2007
Type
Dissertation
Advisor
Barbara J. Parker
Elizabeth I. Merwin
Richard H. Steeves
Claire N. Kaplan
Department
Department of Nursing
Date Added November 5, 2016
Date Modifed October 17, 2017
Collection UVA scholarship on sexual violence, 1974-

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