A half century of scholarly research has compellingly documented the prevalence and impact of sexual violence and has yielded highly-effective treatments for its psychological effects. More than fifteen years after Tarana Burke first coined the phrase “Me Too,” and five years after the first groundswell of the #MeToo movement, the broader public awareness of the prevalence and impact of sexual violence is perhaps higher than ever. Despite this remarkable progress of science and advocacy, sexual violence still occurs at high rates, and too many survivors are unable to access effective support or treatment. This special issue aims to highlight research that aims to amplify the magnitude of our scientific progress by using a public health lens to reduce the population-level prevalence and harms of sexual violence.
European Journal of Psychotraumatology and its guest editor invite original research papers (qualitative and quantitative), review articles, and commentaries addressing the following topics related to sexual violence.
The contexts in which sexual violence and survivors’ recovery occur:
- What are the characteristics of interpersonal relationships, settings, systems, and societies that magnify the prevalence or harm of sexual violence?
- What strategies exist for targeting interpersonal relationships, settings, systems, and societies to reduce the prevalence or harm of sexual violence?
- Is there evidence that broader social movements such as #MeToo affect the prevalence or harm of sexual violence?
Attending to diversity, equity and inclusion in addressing sexual violence:
- How does sexual violence interact with other systems of oppression, such as racism, sexism, and heterosexism?
- What populations have been underrepresented, underserved, or left out entirely of our efforts to prevent sexual violence and mitigate its effects?
- How can an intersectional lens be applied in the context of public health strategies to address sexual violence?
Strategies for preventing sexual violence and its effects:
- What are survivors’ experiences in the initial post-assault period, and what opportunities exist for early intervention in light of these experiences?
- What is the cutting edge of sexual violence prevention? What are recent innovations in this domain?
Increasing the reach and impact of scientific progress related to sexual violence:
- To what degree do sexual violence survivors currently have access to evidence-based PTSD treatments originally developed for sexual violence (e.g., Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure)? What are the barriers and facilitators to dissemination and access?
- What are promising and innovative strategies for increasing survivors’ access to empirically supported principles of change and bypassing common barriers to accessing evidence-based treatments?
- How can a survivor-centered lens be applied in a research and practice context to increase the reach and impact of relevant work?
