‘’It’s not just the rape’’: an ecological exploration of the factors impacting female sexuality after rape

Abstract

The ecological model of trauma enables a multifaceted exploration of the interacting factors influencing rape recovery and sexuality. However, research into the ecological factors associated with rape recovery is limited and fails to focus on function of behaviour, and the context of an individual’s protective strategies. Furthermore, despite the prevalence of sexual and somatic difficulties after rape, including female sexual dysfunction (FSD), no ecological studies were found exploring sexuality specifically after rape. Substantial feminist research documents that female sexual difficulties are consistently medicalised and do not accurately reflect the biopsychosocial nature of sexuality and fail to appropriately explore the impact of trauma. This study aimed to provide an insight into female's experiences of sexuality after rape through an ecological lens. Focus was placed upon interacting factors within the ecosystem and how they may be re-conceptualised to improve understanding and treatment by integrating ideas from Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), the Dynamic Maturational Model of Attachment (DMM) and Polyvagal Theory (PVT), to offer a more holistic and less pathologising view of FSD after rape. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analysis data from six semi-structured interviews of women who had experienced rape. The use of extended demographics was integrated in line with the ecological model to explore how each system may interact and impact one another. It also enabled a quantitative measure of FSD and nervous system functioning. Four superordinate themes were identified; ''Society and Female Sexuality'', ''Rape and Female Sexuality'', ''Knowledge is Power'' and ''I was raped, that doesn't make me dysfunctional''. Themes highlight the inextricable link between society and sexuality, as well as individual factors such as attachment and neuropsychology. These findings offer an alternative conceptualisation of females' sexual difficulties than what the DSM-5 currently offers, providing a more trauma-informed and context sensitive formulation, incorporating theory from the DMM, CFT and PVT. Application to practice is identified, suggesting the dynamic and interacting factors impacting sexuality should be individually assessed and formulated. Sensitivity to context and function is imperative, whereby the interventions offered to individuals should reflect the multifaceted and nuanced phenomena that is being experienced.