If you’ve experienced sexual assault or abuse, help is available now. Call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or use their online chat, both available 24/7.

What is sexual assault?

Sexual assault is any kind of sexual contact, behavior, or activity that happens without everyone involved freely giving their clear, enthusiastic consent.

“Sexual assault” refers to many different circumstances and includes some terms that have specific legal meanings:

• Rape: A legal term meaning sexual penetration of any kind without consent.¹
• Sexual abuse: Legally, “sexual abuse” means any kind of sexual contact, behavior, or activity with a child or minor.
• Molestation: Another word for “sexual assault.” It’s often used to mean “sexual abuse” in particular.
• Incest: Sexual contact, behavior, or activity between family members. “Family” in this case refers to people who aren’t legally allowed to marry because they’re related.
• Sexual harassment: According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, “sexual harassment” legally means “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.”²

Sexual assault of any kind is a crime. It can affect every area of a person’s well-being and is never asked for nor deserved.

How do you recognize sexual assault?

Sexual assault can be:

• Unwanted or coerced: If a person is pressured or forced into a sexual activity, it is sexual assault. If a person initially says yes, but then says no, then consent is no longer given—and continued contact is assault.
• Direct or indirect: People often think about sexual assault in terms of “direct” examples, such as a violent attack. However, there are “indirect” forms of sexual assault as well, such as a comment that doesn’t register until some time has passed.
• Contact or noncontact: Not all sexual assault includes sexual or even physical contact. Showing pornography to a child or publishing intimate photographs of an ex-partner without permission are examples of noncontact sexual assault.
• Attempted: Attempted sexual assault of any kind is a crime, regardless of how far it goes.

What is consent?

Consent is the most basic requirement for any sexual experience. Some people aren’t legally able to consent to sex: Minors categorically can’t consent, and people who are impaired (whether by substances or certain health conditions, such as dementia) can’t consent either.

People give consent in both “explicit” (verbal) and “implicit” (nonverbal) ways. Defining consent as an “enthusiastic yes” honors both the explicit and implicit parts of consent. For example, if someone verbally says yes to sex but their body language indicates they don’t want to, they have not given an enthusiastic yes.

Consent isn’t a one-time agreement. Someone can consent to one activity without consenting to another, and they can consent to sex once without consenting to sex forever. Consent can also be revoked at any time before or during sexual activity.

If someone is being pressured or threatened, they can’t freely consent.

Sexual assault facts

Sexual assault is more common than many people assume, and some groups may be at higher risk than others. In the United States:

• One out of every four women has reported being a victim of attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.³
• Children are especially vulnerable—about one in 10 children has been sexually abused.⁴
• Around one in five college students who identify as transgender, genderqueer, or gender nonconforming (nonbinary) has been sexually assaulted.⁵
• More than two thirds of multiracial women (67.3%) have reported experiencing unwanted sexual contact in their lifetime.⁶
• It’s estimated that only about 23% of rape and assault cases are reported.⁷ On average, less than 1% of sexual assaults lead to conviction of the perpetrator.⁸

It’s important to note that people at higher risk of sexual assault don’t carry any more responsibility for their assault than other victims—the amount is zero in all cases. Victims of sexual assault are never responsible for the crime that’s been committed against them.

Effects of sexual assault

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Research indicates that around 36% of sexual assault survivors develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point.⁹ In comparison, only about 7% to 8% of the general US population develops PTSD.¹⁰

PTSD is a common diagnosis among survivors of sexual assault because sexual assault is inherently traumatic. Trauma is an emotional response to an event, relationship, or circumstance that threatens or harms our health or safety.

Sexual assault of any kind is likely to cause a stress response from your body, which can look like:

• Fighting: Becoming aggressive, screaming
• Fleeing: Running away
• Freezing: Staying still, avoiding decisions, feeling numb or “out of body”
• Fawning: Trying to please others to avoid conflict

Keep in mind that we don’t have control over how our bodies respond to trauma. Many people understand how someone might try to fight back or run away during a sexual assault. But even if someone doesn’t fight back (“freezing”) or if they try to ingratiate themselves to their abuser (“fawning”), it doesn’t mean they consented to what was happening. It just means their body had a particular trauma response in an attempt to protect them. Their body’s trauma response does not negate their experience as a victim of sexual assault. 

Depression

Sexual assault has also been closely linked to depression, with 30% of rape victims having reported at least one major depressive episode in their lives, compared to only 10% of women in general.¹¹ Rape victims are also four times more likely to have experienced suicidal ideation and 13 times more likely than nonvictims to have attempted suicide at least once.

If you or a loved one is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts after sexual assault, help is available now. For free, confidential support, call or text the 988 Lifeline at 988, connect with an online counselor at Lifeline Chat, or text HOME to 741741.

Anxiety

Trauma such as sexual assault can cause or worsen other mental health disorders, including anxiety. Surviving a sexual assault can leave someone in a state of hypervigilance—a form of anxiety where people stay on guard constantly as a way to protect themselves. This level of anxiety is unsustainable and can lead to further distress.

Addiction

Many people struggle to deal with the physical, mental, and emotional effects of surviving a sexual assault. Alcohol, drugs, and other addictive substances may seem like the only way to escape. Evidence suggests that victims of sexual assault are at higher risk for substance abuse and addiction.

If you’re struggling with addiction after sexual assault, help is available now. Call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for a referral to a local treatment facility or support group. In addition, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) offers free group support meetings across the globe. You can search for one in your area and just show up.

Physical effects

Sexual assault can affect people physically, mentally, and emotionally. Common physical effects can include:

• Injuries
• Sexually transmitted infections
• Pregnancy
• Fertility issues
• Chronic pain
• Insomnia
• Undereating or overeating

The physical effects of sexual assault can also be psychologically harmful in and of themselves. An unwanted pregnancy or issues with fertility, for example, can lead to anxiety or depression.

Effects of childhood sexual abuse

Childhood trauma of any kind can have long-lasting negative effects on development. However, the effects of childhood sexual abuse can be particularly harmful. One in 10 girls and one in 25 boys experience sexual abuse before age 18 in the US, likely impacting their mental health well into adulthood.¹²

Experiencing sexual abuse can increase a child’s risk for:

• Depression
• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Dissociation
• Memory loss
• Attachment disorder
• Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)
• Conduct disorder
• Substance abuse
• Personality disorders
• Mood disorders
• Insomnia

Trauma researcher and author Bessel van der Kolk, MD, has proposed a new diagnosis for children with complex trauma histories: developmental trauma disorder (DTD).¹³ DTD condenses many of the disorders listed above into a single disorder caused by childhood trauma, particularly childhood sexual abuse. It’s worth noting that DTD is still under discussion as a potential diagnosis and is not currently included in the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic manual, the DSM-5.

Healing from sexual trauma

Get help now

If you or a loved one has experienced sexual assault or abuse, help is available now.Contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline by calling 800-656-HOPE (4673) or use their online chat, both available 24/7.

Find a therapist

The effects of sexual assault can last a long time. Even assault or abuse that happened years or decades ago can still affect you today.

Survivors of sexual assault often benefit from therapy, medication, or other mental health treatment. If you’re interested in seeking professional support, the following types of treatment may be helpful:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): Trauma-informed CBT can help survivors learn to identify unhelpful thought patterns that may have formed in response to sexual assault. By understanding the root thinking behind your emotions and behaviors, you can interrupt cycles of anxiety, depression, or other forms of distress.
• Prolonged exposure therapy: Exposure therapy gives survivors a chance to confront traumatic memories and emotions in a safe, controlled environment.
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): In EMDR, survivors process traumatic memories in ways that encourage new connections in the brain, ultimately reducing distress. If you can’t remember your trauma, EMDR may also help you access some of those memories safely.
• Cognitive processing therapy (CPT): Developed for people with PTSD, CPT is also a treatment option for survivors of sexual assault.
• Emotionally focused therapy (EFT): EFT draws on attachment theory, Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, and gestalt therapy to help survivors restructure their emotional responses. It can help survivors strengthen relationships that may have been strained or broken after an assault.
• Medication: Survivors of sexual assault may benefit from certain medications, such as antidepressants or mood stabilizers, in addition to therapy. Some medications can also help with sleep issues or nightmares.

Browse our directory to find a trauma-informed therapist in your area.

Ways to support survivors

The damage done by sexual assault or abuse often has a ripple effect, impacting survivors’ relationships with their friends, family members, and community. If a loved one has survived a sexual assault and discloses it to you, here are some ways you can support them.

Believe them

False reporting of sexual assault is statistically rare.¹⁴ Yet many survivors are still met with scrutiny, stigma, and even outright disbelief. The culture of scrutinizing victims instead of perpetrators contributes to the fact that an estimated 63% of sexual assaults are never reported. 

The baseline for support of sexual assault survivors is belief. If a friend or loved one shares their experience of sexual assault with you, believe them.

Remove blame

If your loved one feels they are to blame for what happened to them, it’s important for you to remind them why that isn’t true.

Sexual assault is never the victim’s fault. It doesn’t matter:

• What they were wearing
• What they were drinking
• Where they were
• What time of night they were out
• Whether they were flirting
• Whether they invited someone back to their place

Remember, consent is an “enthusiastic yes” that can be revoked at any time. Without consent, sex is always sexual assault.

Get them to a safe place

Sexual assault may be ongoing in some scenarios, especially cases of sexual abuse or molestation. If your loved one isn’t physically or emotionally safe from their abuser, help them get to a safe space immediately.

Help them seek medical treatment

In the aftermath of an assault, help your loved one get to a doctor or emergency room for treatment. A doctor can help identify any injuries, provide treatment, and possibly collect physical evidence for future legal action.

Encourage them to seek mental health treatment

Sexual assault harms people physically, mentally, and emotionally. Encourage your loved one to seek treatment for their mental health.

Help them seek justice

Every victim has the right to file a police report, and if your loved one wants to, you should encourage them to do so. But it’s also important to understand that they may decide against reporting at this time.

There are many reasons why people choose not to report their sexual assault. It’s ultimately your loved one’s choice whether they want to move forward with legal action or not. It’s important that you respect their decision either way.

Let them decide who they tell and when

If your loved one confides in you, don’t assume they have told anyone else. Many victims of sexual assault worry about how others will react to their story—especially partners or family members.

While you can offer your loved one reassurance that their community will love and support them no matter what, it’s ultimately their decision who they tell and when.

Let them heal at their own pace

Healing after sexual trauma isn’t a linear process. Your loved one may seem okay one day and struggle the next. Some symptoms may disappear while others resurface.

It’s important not to rush your loved one toward getting “back to normal” after their assault. Instead, help them discover their new normal while offering your love and support through good days and bad.