Understanding Social Support Network Characteristics, Alcohol Misuse, and Posttraumatic Stress among Survivors of Sexual Assault in the First-year Post-assault

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Sexual assault remains an all too prevalent public health problem, particularly among young adults. Posttraumatic stress and alcohol misuse are common and co-occurring negative health outcomes associated with sexual assault, which can either resolve or become chronic in the first year after the assault. Social support has been indicated as a key factor that may influence recovery trajectories in the early aftermath of an assault. However, research has been limited by a focus on retrospective designs, sparse recognition of the social structures within survivors’ social networks, and limited integration of alcohol-related social factors on trauma recovery. To fill these gaps, the current study leverages a longitudinal social network design to examine how social resources both shape and are shaped by a recent experience of sexual assault. Three forms of social support resources will be engaged: structural social support (the quantity of support available in survivors’ social networks), sexual assault-specific social support (the quality of responses to disclosures), and alcohol-specific social support (social network drinking). To follow the recovery process in the first 12 months post-SA and draw rigorous conclusions about directionality and mechanisms, the research aims of this study are to: (1) clarify the direction of association between structural social support and posttraumatic stress in the year after a sexual assault, (2) examine how sexual assault-specific social resources are related to posttraumatic stress and alcohol misuse, and (3) characterize the co-evolution of social network drinking and survivor alcohol misuse after sexual assault. To achieve these aims, a national sample of 500 young adults aged 18 to 30 who have experienced a sexual assault in the past 12 weeks will be recruited. Participants will complete a baseline social network interview, then six weekly surveys about social interactions during the early recovery period (spanning 2-20 weeks post-assault). Finally, participants will complete nine monthly surveys, timed in reference to the date the assault occurred (4-12 months post-assault). By studying sexual assault as a critical antecedent process that influences and disrupts trajectories of social connectedness in young adulthood, this research is consistent with the NIAAA mission to reveal the sociocultural origins of alcohol misuse and understand its health impacts. Beyond the direct utility of this information for survivors and their peers, findings will identify modifiable peer- and network-level characteristics that can be targeted through interventions designed to improve support for sexual assault survivors.