Posttraumatic self-blame after sexual assault: A national comparison of child and adult victimization

J Psychiatr Res. 2026 Sep 8;203:69-76. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2026.09.014. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Sexual assault (SA) is associated with substantial negative psychological sequelae. Self-blame-the belief that one is responsible for one’s own victimization-is a notable cognitive response that may occur post-assault. While prior research has examined the correlates of self-blame in the context of SA, no prior research has evaluated the correlates of self-blame following child and adult SA using population-based data. Accordingly, we examined demographic and psychiatric correlates of self-blame following child and adult SA, comparing the relative strength of these predictors across these two groups. Data for participants who reported child SA (n = 1580) and adult SA (n = 343) as their index trauma were derived from the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions – Wave III (NESARC-III) collected from 2012 to 2013. Results from survey-weighted logistic regression analyses revealed that among those endorsing child SA as their index trauma, younger age, major depressive disorder, bipolar 1 disorder, and borderline personality disorder were uniquely associated with greater odds of endorsing self-blame. Among participants endorsing adult SA as their index trauma, younger age, generalized anxiety disorder, and borderline personality disorder were uniquely associated with increased odds of endorsing self-blame. Moderation analyses revealed no differences in these associations between groups following correction for multiple comparisons. Our findings highlight several demographic and psychiatric factors that may warrant consideration in the aftermath of SA and suggest that correlates of post-assault self-blame are largely consistent across assault chronology.

PMID:42721518 | DOI:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2026.09.014