Single and Multiple Sexual Victimizations, Post-Traumatic Guilt, Shame, and Belief in a Just World

J Interpers Violence. 2026 Jul 9:8862605261455478. doi: 10.1177/08862605261455478. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Sexual violence is a prevalent trauma that affects core beliefs among victims, including belief in a just world (BJW), a fundamental worldview that enables individuals to find meaning and to invest in long-term goals. In this study, based on a national online survey carried out in France with 57,505 college students, we found that victims of four major kinds of sexual violence, namely attempted sexual assault, sexual assault, attempted rape, and rape, showed an overall decrease in BJW compared to non-victims. As hypothesized, multiple victimization was significantly related to a weaker BJW compared to single victimization, except in the case of attempted rape where no significant association emerged. Importantly, we found that the more victims believed in a just world, the less they reported shame and guilt following sexual assault, attempted rape, and rape. However, the magnitude of the association was very small. These results suggest that core assumptions of BJW are lower among individuals who experienced sexual violence, with repeated sexual violence associated with a potential cumulative negative effect on these worldviews.

PMID:42427008 | DOI:10.1177/08862605261455478