Correlates of formal and informal support seeking in sexual assault victims

Correlates of service seeking were examined in a sample of 323 sexual assault victims. Several barriers to disclosure to different formal support providers were explored to determine whether victim characteristics, assault variables, and postassault experiences differentiated those women who sought formal assistance from those seeking informal support only. As expected, victims of stranger rapes with more injury were more likely to seek support from formal service providers. Victims seeking formal assistance reported receiving more negative social reactions when disclosing their assaults than victims soliciting support from informal social network members only. Frequency of receipt of positive social reactions did not differ as a function of disclosing to formal support providers or informal sources only, with the exception of tangible aid, which was more commonly provided by formal support sources. Implications for encouraging help seeking by victims and reducing negative social reactions of formal support providers are given.