Resilience and post-traumatic stress disorder in the acute aftermath of rape: a comparative analysis of adolescents versus adults

Abstract

Background: Rape trauma contributes significantly to the mental burden of disease, affecting resilience and vulnerabilities at every developmental life stage. Appropriate resilience-promoting strategies could potentially buffer or protect trauma-exposed individuals from psychopathology.
Aim: This study aimed to assess and compare (using validated measuring instruments) resilience, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other variables in the acute aftermath of rape, between adolescent and adult females and to assess associations with these variables.
Method: We conducted a comparative analysis of resilience, PTSD, prior trauma, demographic variables and psychiatric morbidity in 41 adolescent and 47 adult female rape survivors six weeks post-rape. We assessed the relationship of resilience to PTSD, demographic variables and prior trauma and investigated if resilience levels predicted PTSD after adjusting for prior trauma.
Results: We found no significant differences in resilience levels between the groups, but the adolescent PTSD rate (40%) was double that in adults (20%). In adults, a significant negative correlation was evident between resilience and PTSD symptoms scores.
Conclusion: More knowledge of resilience versus stress susceptibility for PTSD throughout the lifespan is needed and can inform the development of more effective clinical assessment and resiliencepromoting strategies.

Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2014, 26(3): 239–249