An Exploratory Study of Rape Survivors' Prescription Drug Use As A Means of Coping With Sexual Assault

Abstract

In this study we examined rape survivors' postassault use of prescription drugs, including sedatives, tranquilizers, and antidepressants. In a community-based sample of 102 sexual assault survivors, 44% had used prescription drugs postrape. Consistent with prior research on alcohol as a postassault coping mechanism, the current study found evidence that some women were “self-medicating.” Fourteen percent of the women who had used prescription drugs postrape did so without a doctor's prescription and 50% obtained them through their physicians without disclosing the assault. Most of these women did not disclose the assault to their physicians because they feared how they would respond. For the remaining 36% of women using prescription drugs, there was evidence of the “medicalization” of rape. These victims disclosed the assaults to their doctors, who in many cases responded by giving them a prescription for medication, which made many of the survivors feel blamed and silenced. Implications for improving health care are discussed.