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Repression and coping with the threat of rape

A study is reported which examined the impact of repressive coping style on processing and recalling information about rape. It was predicted that repressors selectively avoid threatening information about a rape incident and that selective avoidance is reflected in poorer recall for details of the rape account as well as anticipation of fewer coping problems in the event of sexual victimization. A total of N=143 women were presented with an authentic rape scenario taken from police files. The sample was divided into repressors, sensitizers, non‐anxious and defensive high‐anxious individuals on the basis of an anxiety and a social desirability measure. Differential memory by the four groups for the rape scenario was measured in a free‐recall task. In addition, respondents were asked to anticipate potential coping problems they thought they would experience in the event of sexual victimization, and they were asked to indicate their behavioural precautions against a sexual assault. As predicted, repressors showed poorer recall for the described rape than both sensitizers and non‐anxious subjects. Results were less conclusive concerning the proposed interaction of anxiety and defensive avoidance on anticipated coping problems. No effect was found of cognitive coping style on behavioural precautions against rape. The findings are discussed with respect to the construct validity of repression as a cognitive strategy for coping with threat in the domain of sexual violence. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.