Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Psychology, Clinical-Community

Date of Defense

5-9-2022

Graduate Advisor

Rachel Wamser-Nanney, Ph.D.

Committee

Steven Bruce, Ph.D.

Ryan Carpenter, Ph.D.

Kim Werner, Ph.D.

Abstract

Maltreatment survivors are at an increased risk for adult revictimization. Yet, existing work has specifically focused on sexual revictimization, and it is unclear what factors increase one’s risk for revictimization more broadly. Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), anger, and substance use have been identified as potential risk factors for sexual revictimization. Still, the role of these variables is ambiguous in the broader revictimization framework. There is also a lack of understanding regarding the roles of the DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters and revictimization. This study aims to: 1) examine the links between maltreatment and revictimization and three factors (i.e., PTSS, anger, and substance use), 2) determine whether there are indirect effects between maltreatment and revictimization through each factor, and 3) investigate whether the PTSD clusters have indirect effects on the relationship between maltreatment and revictimization. The sample included 417 maltreated college students (Mage = 22.04, SD = 5.08; 83.2% female; 54.9% white) from two universities. Mediation results indicated that maltreatment and revictimization were linked with PTSS (B = .02, B = .01, respectively). Only maltreatment was related to anger, B = 1.86, and revictimization was tied to substance use, B = .02. Only PTSS had an indirect effect on the link between maltreatment and revictimization (B = .02). Maltreatment was associated with each of the four PTSD symptom clusters, but the clusters had no indirect effects on the link between maltreatment and revictimization. These findings indicate that PTSS may be uniquely important in increasing risk for trauma revictimization.

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