RN Nursing · Violence, Abuse, and Neglect · Practice question
A nurse is preparing an educational program about sexual assault for a group of college students. Which of the following information should the nurse include?
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Survivors of sexual assault exhibit similar psychological symptoms to one another.
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Survivors of sexual assault are generally married living in metropolitan areas.
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Survivors of sexual assault do not benefit from psychotherapy.
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✓
Survivors of sexual assault often know their offender.
Answer & explanation
Correct: Survivors of sexual assault often know their offender.
A well-established and critical fact about sexual assault is that survivors frequently know their offender. Research consistently shows that a significant majority of sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows, such as an acquaintance, intimate partner, family member, or colleague. Including this information in an educational program for college students is essential because it challenges the misconception that assaults are primarily perpetrated by strangers, helping students better understand risk and recognize unsafe situations. The statement that survivors exhibit similar psychological symptoms is incorrect; responses to sexual trauma are highly individualized and vary widely, ranging from acute distress to apparently calm reactions — this variability is recognized in the concept of rape trauma syndrome. The claim that survivors are generally married and living in metropolitan areas is false; sexual assault affects people across all demographics, marital statuses, and geographic locations. The assertion that survivors do not benefit from psychotherapy is also incorrect; evidence strongly supports trauma-focused therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and EMDR in reducing PTSD, anxiety, and depression following sexual assault. Therefore, the accurate and educationally important statement is that survivors often know their offender.
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