Rape victims continue to have higher than average levels of which symptoms?

Rape victims continue to have higher than average levels of which symptoms?

• A. Headache and dizziness
• B. Anxiety, suspiciousness, depression, self-esteem problems, self-blame, flashbacks, sleep problems, and sexual dysfunction
• C. Only sleep disturbance
• D. Increased appetite only

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that the impact of rape often extends across multiple psychological domains and can persist over time, not just a single symptom. After a traumatic sexual assault, survivors frequently show a broad pattern of distress that includes anxiety and suspiciousness (hypervigilance and distrust), depressive symptoms and problems with self-worth, self-blame and guilt, intrusive memories or flashbacks, ongoing sleep problems, and sexual dysfunction. This combination reflects the trauma-related processes at play: heightened arousal and vigilance, mood disruption, negative beliefs about the self and the world, distorted attributions of fault, re-experiencing the event, sleep disturbances, and difficulties related to sexual functioning. Together these factors illustrate the lasting psychological toll and the ways trauma can permeate daily functioning, relationships, and self-perception. Other options capture only a narrow slice—for example, a purely physical symptom like headaches or dizziness, a single symptom like sleep disturbance, or a non-representative symptom like increased appetite—while the pattern described above best represents the broad, enduring impact seen in many survivors.

The main idea is that the impact of rape often extends across multiple psychological domains and can persist over time, not just a single symptom.

After a traumatic sexual assault, survivors frequently show a broad pattern of distress that includes anxiety and suspiciousness (hypervigilance and distrust), depressive symptoms and problems with self-worth, self-blame and guilt, intrusive memories or flashbacks, ongoing sleep problems, and sexual dysfunction. This combination reflects the trauma-related processes at play: heightened arousal and vigilance, mood disruption, negative beliefs about the self and the world, distorted attributions of fault, re-experiencing the event, sleep disturbances, and difficulties related to sexual functioning. Together these factors illustrate the lasting psychological toll and the ways trauma can permeate daily functioning, relationships, and self-perception.

Other options capture only a narrow slice—for example, a purely physical symptom like headaches or dizziness, a single symptom like sleep disturbance, or a non-representative symptom like increased appetite—while the pattern described above best represents the broad, enduring impact seen in many survivors.