Report Shows Rape Victims Recover Slowly

Most rape victims take more than a year to recover psychologically from the assault, a new study released by a team at Beth Israel Hospital shows.

Seventy-six per cent of the 41 victims interviewed about two years after their rapes report fears of men, going out alone or another rape, as well as suspiciousness of others.

"Up until very recently people believed it took about a year at most to recover from a rape," Janet C. Gornic '80, a researcher who presented the report at a Science Center conference Sunday, said yesterday.

Encouragment

Researchers hope the results will encourage hospitals to offer counseling to rape victims after the one-year mark, as well as to recognize the connection between sexual trauma and sexual problems.

About one-quarter of those interviewed said the rape had a lasting impact on their lives, making comments like, "It will never leave me," "It crippled me," and "It ruined my life."

But the report said many of these same women also experienced "maturational" effects since the attack, describing themselves as stronger, more self-reliant and more selective in choosing friends.

"It's awfully demanding to expect a rape victim to be the same as she was," Gornic said, adding, "Recovery does not preclude change."

The study also found that 41 per cent of the victims are now experiencing depression related to the rape, either in the form of continuous sadness since the incident or as intermittent severe recurrences.

The researchers studied former patients from the Beth Israel Rape Crisis center who did not have a history of mental illness