Presentation of my thesis project
General population is often exposed to interpersonal violences. Psychological and psychopathological consequences are associated with physical and sexual assaults are. In litterature, exposition of interpersonal violences are mostly studied with specific psychologic consequences of posttraumatic stress disorder as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and dissociative symptoms than with non-specific psychological consequences as distress.
People exposed to interpersonal violence under four forms of exposition : direct, indirect, direct vicarious direct, indirect and chronic vicarious (APA, 2015).
We decide to conduct a study to explore the link between exposition of interpersonal violence and psychological distress. The objective of study is evaluation of the link of characteristics of interpersonal violence exposition on level of psychological distress and the link of characteristics of participants on level of psychological distress.
We formulated several hypothesis. We hypothesized that the type of interpersonal violence (physic assaults and sexual assaults) influence level of actual psychologic distress. We also hypothetised that the form of exposition (direct, indirect, direct vicarious, indirect and chronic vicarious) influence level of distress. We hypothetised that the number of exposures at interpersonal violence affect level of distress. We also hypothetised that exposition of interpersonal violence differ from the sex.
A total of seven hundred fivety- four adults took part in the study. They were 320 men and 434 women with medium age of 33.06 years.
Participants answered to Inventory of Traumatics Event. This tool evaluate characteristics of interpersonalviolence exposure and level of their distress associated.
Tests of correlations mesure links between characteristics of interpersonal violence and level of distress.
We found relevant results. First, 74,1% of participants are exposed to interpersonal violences. They are more numerous to exposed to physic assault (52,3%) than sexual assaults (21,8%) in their life. Contrary to our hypothesis, direct exposure is less associated to level of distress than direct vicarious exposure interpersonal violence. Specifically sexual assaults with penetration is the form of sexual assaults exposure that is most corelated to level of distress. Expositions to war and torture are physical assaults most correlated to level of distress.
Multiple exposure to physical and sexual assaults raise level of distress precisely exposure to home assault, sexual assault with or without penetration, serious and physic assault. This means that more exposition raise more level of distress raise.
Interpersonal violence exposure is different between male and female. Level of distress of women raise to exposure other sexual assualts and war and torture whereas men have level of distress raised with exposure to sexual assault without penetration.
To conclude, the level of distress is associated with direct vicarious and indirect and chronic vicarious exposure of interpersonal violence. These links differ from sex. For further resarch, we will have to explain the link between interpersonal violence and distress in explore specificities of events.