Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Journal

This research aims to understand the affect that sexual assault trauma has on survivors’ sex lives and romantic relationships. Using a qualitative research method of interviews, ten female-identifying sexual assault survivors from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) were asked about their history, attitudes, and behaviors on sex and relationships. An intersectional approach combined with a feminist lens was utilized in order to understand the lives of these survivors’ post-assault with a sociological perspective. The findings revealed that participants received inadequate formal education on consent in schools. I discovered intimacy challenges both romantically and sexually, where participants revealed a hesitancy and even avoidance to intimate interactions. Relatedly, a struggle in reintegration into society as sexual assault survivors was found to be evident. This study expanded on previous research on the perpetuation of hegemonic masculinity and femininity and its contribution to violence against women. Societal norms such as hook-up culture were also found to be correlated with sexual assault. This study contributes to the existing and expanding research on women who experience sexual assault and their experiences thereafter.