Trauma & Sexuality Seminar

Guiding Issues and

Week-by-Week Topics and Reading List

Fall 1999 Graduate Seminar
Professor Jennifer J. Freyd
With the assistance of post-doctoral fellow Dr. Eileen Zurbriggen
University of Oregon

course home page: http://dynamic.uoregon.edu/~jfreyd/psy607-fall99/

[Subject to Change]

Some Guiding Issues & Questions

In this seminar we will consider theoretical and empirical research addressing the intersection of trauma and sexuality. We will address traumatic sexuality and sexual traum. We will ask about the impact of trauma on sexuality and the influence of sexuality on trauma. These explorations will lead us to questioning:

1. Trauma. What distinctions to focus on?
- sexual vs non-sexual trauma
- childhood vs. adult (e.g. incest vs. rape)
- betrayal vs. not
- level of intensity (e.g., intercourse vs. inappropriate touching vs. inappropriate verbal remarks)
- duration of trauma
- female clitoridectomy and infibulation as a culturally-specific sexual trauma with both physical and psychological effects on adult sexuality?
- victims of (specifically sexual) torture?

2. What is sexuality?
- history of sexuality
- physiology of sexual response, with particular attention to anything that overlaps with the physiology of trauma
- development of sexuality -- how does "normal" sexual development proceed? Are there critical periods; different tasks/challenges for different periods of time?
- agressive or violent sexuality and its origins, impacts. Role of violent sexual imagery in culture/advertising, etc.

3. Trauma and "safer sex" practices
- condom use
- # of partners
- intravenous drug use

4. Childhood trauma and adult (sexual?) victimization
- rape, sexual assault
- sexual harassment
- domestic violence

5. Childhood trauma and adult (sexual?) perpetration

6. Trauma and working in a sex trade
- prostitution
- strip clubs/erotic dancing
- pornography model/actress

7. Trauma and intimate sexual relationships
- satisfaction w/relationships
- longevity
- level of intimacy

8. Trauma and attitudes/emotions about sex
- Sexual trauma and physical consequences to one's sexuality (e.g. infibulation usually leads to a lifetime of infections -- other health consequences of trauma that may impact sexuality)
- sex guilt
- masturbation guilt
- Sociosexuality Orientation Inventory (SOI, Simpson & Gangestad) (whether you think casual sex and sex with many partners is ok)
- what is your definition of sex
- enjoyment of sex
- sexual scripts/schemas/rules
- conservative or liberal beliefs about sexuality

9. Trauma and the demographics of sexual behavior
- age when first engaged in sex
- number of partners
- frequency of intercourse (or other behaviors)
- number of pregnancies
- prevalence of STDs

10. Interactions: how might trauma interact with various factors to predict any of the outcome variables. The type of trauma is likely to be important of course, but there are doubtless other variables. Therapy, gender, religiosity, cultural/ethnicity, personality, self-esteem?

11. What are recovery, treatment and clinical implications?

 

[Subject to Change]

October 1: Organizational

 

October 8: Overview of Trauma & Sexuality

Guiding Questions: 1, 2, 11

Guest Speaker: Wendy Maltz, M.S.W.

Readings for October 8

Pages 1-60 of Wyatt, G.E., Newcomb, M.D., Riederly, M.H. (1993) Sexual Abuse and Consensual Sex: Women's Developmental Patterns and Outcomes. Sage Publications.

Pages 172-176 of Freyd, J. J. (1996). Betrayal Trauma: The logic of forgetting abuse. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Also visit Wendy Maltz's web site at http://www.healthysex.com/ and there read her on-line short articles "Sexual Healing from Sexual Abuse" and "Maltz Hierarchy of Sexual Interaction."

 

October 15: Wyatt Study: Methods & Results

Guiding Questions: 8, 9, 10

Discussion leader: Eileen Zurbriggen, Ph.D.

Readings for October 15

Page 61- 139 of Wyatt, G.E., Newcomb, M.D., Riederly, M.H. (1993) Sexual Abuse and Consensual Sex: Women's Developmental Patterns and Outcomes. Sage Publications.

Zurbriggen, E. L. (in press). Social motives and cognitive power/sex associations: Predictors of aggressive sexual behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

 

October 22: Wyatt Study: Additional Results & Implications

Guiding Questions: 7-11

Discussion leaders: Anne DePrince and Gretchen Lussier

Readings for October 22

Pages 140- 218 of Wyatt, G.E., Newcomb, M.D., Riederly, M.H. (1993) Sexual Abuse and Consensual Sex: Women's Developmental Patterns and Outcomes. Sage Publications.

Recommended: Becker, J. V., Skinner, L. J., Abel, G. G., & Cichon, J. (1986). Level of postassault sexual functioning in rape and incest victims. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 15, 37-49.

 

October 29: Focus on Boys & Men

Guiding Questions: 8, 9, 10

Guest Speaker (1-2 PM): Bee Bee Head, Intake Counselor at DYS

Discussion leader (2-3 PM): Marnie Gleason

Readings for October 29

Dhaliwal, G.K., Gauzas, L., Antonowicz, D.H., & Ross, R.R. (1996). Adult male survivors of childhood sexual abuse: Prevalence, sexual abuse characteristics, & long term effects. Clinical Psychology Review, 16, 619-639.

Gordon, M. (1990). Males and females as victims of childhood sexual abuse: An examination of the gender effect. Journal of Family Violence, 5, 321-332.

Longo, R.E.F. (1986). The impact of sexual victimization on males. Child Abuse & Neglect, 10, 411-414.

Matsakis, A. (1996) Vietnam Wives. Lutherwood, MD: Sidran Press -- Pages 83-122.

Urquiza, A. J., & Capra, M. (1990). The impact of sexual abuse: Initial and long-term effects. In M. Hunter (Ed.), The sexually abused male, Vol. 1: Prevalence, impact, and treatment (pp. 105-135). Lexington, MA: Lexington Books/D. C. Heath and Company.

 

November 5: HIV-risk, Safe Sex, & Revictimization

Guiding Questions: 3, 4

Discussion leaders: Heather Scott, Kathy Becker

Readings for Nov 5

Allers, C. T., Benjack, K. J., White, J., & Rousey, J. T. (1993). HIV vulnerability and the adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 17, 291-298.

Cloitre, M., Scarvalone, P., & Difede, J. (1997). Posttraumatic stress disorder, self- and interpersonal dysfunction among sexually retraumatized women. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 10, 437-452.

Fergusson, D. M., Horwood, L. J., & Lynskey, M. T. (1997). Childhood sexual abuse, adolescent sexual behaviors and sexual revictimization. Child Abuse and Neglect, 21, 789-803.

Merrill, L. L., Newell, C. E., Thomsen, C. J., Gold, S. R., Milner, J. S., Koss, M. P., & Rosswork, S. G. (1999). Childhood abuse and sexual revictimization in a female navy recruit sample. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 12, 211-225.

Quina, K., Harlow, L.L., Morokoff, P.J., & Saxon, S. (1997). Interpersonal Power and Women's HIV Risk. In J. Manlowe & N. Goldstein (Eds.), Gender and the Politics of HIV (pp. 188-206). New York: New York University Press.

Thompson, N. J., Potter, J. S., Sanderson, C. A., & Maibach, E. W. (1997). The relationship of sexual abuse and HIV risk behavior among heterosexual adult female STD patients. Child Abuse and Neglect, 21, 149-156.

Walser, R. D., & Kern, J. M. (1996). Relationships among childhood sexual abuse, sex guilt and sexual behavior in adult clinical samples. The Journal of Sex Research, 33, 321-326.

 

November 12: Pornography & Sex Trade

Guiding Questions: 5

Discussion leaders: Ryan Smith, Alison Lusk, & Tamara Sanchez

Readings for Nov 12

Farley, M.,& Barkan, H. (1998). Prostitution, violence, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Women & Health, 27, 37-49.

McKeganey, N., & Barnard, M. (1996). Dying for sex: Prostitution and violence. In Sex work on the streets: Prostitutes and their clients (pp. 1-4 and 70-81). Open University Press.

Russell, D. E. H. (1993). Pornography and rape: A causal model. In D. E. H. Russell (Ed.), Making violence sexy: Feminist views on pornography (pp. 120-150). New York: Teachers College Press.

Widom, C. S., & Kuhns, J. B. (1996). Childhood victimization and subsequent risk for promiscuity, prostitution, and teenage pregnancy: A prospective study. American Journal of Public Health, 86, 1607-1612.

Zillmann, D., & Bryant, J. (1988). Pornography's impact on sexual satisfaction. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 18, 438-453.

 

November 19: Perpetration

Guiding Questions: 6

Discussion leaders: Barbara Bachmeier, Miki Mace, and Jessica Alvarado

Readings for Nov 19

Dutton, D.G., & Hart, S.D. (1992). Evidence for long-term, specific effects of childhood abuse and neglect on criminal behavior in men. International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative Criminology, 36, 129-137.

Freund, K., Watson, R., & Dickey, R. (1990). Does sexual abuse in childhood cause pedophilia: An explanatory study. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 19, 557-568.

Kesner, J. E., & McKenry, P. C. (1998). The role of childhood attachment factors in predicting male violence toward female intimates. Journal of Family Violence, 13, 417-432.

Lisak, D., Hopper, J., & Song, P. (1996). Factors in the cycle of violence: Gender rigidity and emotional constriction. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9, 721-743.

 

November 26: No Class: Thanksgiving

 

December 3: Summing Up, Treatment, Prevention, and Implications

Guiding Questions: 1-11

Discussion leaders: Jenni Freeman and Vicky Curry

Readings for Dec 3

Bruckner, D. F., & Johnson, P. E. (1987). Treatment for adult male victims of childhood sexual abuse. Social Casework, 68, 81-87.

Foshee, V.A., Bauman, K.E., Arriaga, X. B., Helms, R. W., Koch, G.G., & Linder, G. F. (1998). An evaluation of safe dates, an adolescent dating violence prevention program. American Journal of Public Health, 88, 45-50.

Hall, G. C. N., & Barongan, C. (1997). Prevention of sexual aggression: Sociocultural risk and protective factors. American Psychologist, 52, 5-14.

Maltz, W. (1988). Identifying and treating the sexual repercussions of incest: Couples therapy approach. Journal of Sex and Marriage Therapy, 14, 142-170.

Sheldon, H., & Bannister, A. (1998). Working with adult female survivors of childhood sexual abuse. In A. Bannister (Ed.), From hearing to healing: Working with the aftermath of child sexual abuse (2nd ed., pp. 96-117). New York: John Wiley & Sons.

 

See also:

Trauma & Sexualy course home page: http://dynamic.uoregon.edu/~jfreyd/psy607-fall99/

Bibliography: A bibliography for trauma and sexuality is under development at http://dynamic.uoregon.edu/~jfreyd/psy607-fall99/bibliography.html