Announcing the Final Examination of Chelsea L. Mandes for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Sociology.
Secondary contact-sexual violence (CSV) victims are individuals such as friends, family, romantic partners, and colleagues who experience emotional distress after learning someone they care for was the primary or direct victim of unwanted sexual contact. Prevalence estimates suggest approximately 50% of women and 30% of men will experience primary CSV victimization in their lifetime; therefore, most people are or will be secondary victims of CSV. Existing work on secondary victims of CSV has yet to study this experience qualitatively without narrowing the scope by demographics, victim-perpetrator relationship, or assault characteristics. This exploratory study sought to provide an initial understanding of the experience of secondary CSV victimization from the perceptions of those who embody this inherently social identity. Analysis of in-depth semi-structured interviews and evocative narrative using Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) methods and autoethnographic methods (respectively) revealed the importance of the interaction of shared identity and experience to the process of secondary CSV victimization. Results suggest secondary CSV victimization is a nonlinear, dyadic social process comprised of (1) Perceived Receipt of Disclosure, (2) Reaction, and (3) Response, each reciprocal processes that are inextricably linked to and impacted by socially constructed identity and prior experiences of both primary and secondary victims. Additionally, primary and secondary CSV victim belief that they share one or more stigmatized identities and/or experiences fosters a sense of closeness and the expectation of acceptance born from assumed mutual understanding.
Committee in Charge: Dr. Elizabeth Grauerholz, Dr. Amy Reckdenwald, Dr. Allison Cares, Dr. Bethany Backes
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