The Moderating Effects of Assertiveness, Religiosity, and Perceived Social Support on the Relationship Between Sexual Assault Severity and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Severity

This study examined how moderating variables may reduce trauma-related symptoms for females who have experienced sexual assault. The study examined whether higher levels of assertiveness, religiosity, and perceived social support would result in fewer Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms for female sexual assault survivors. Moderation analysis was used to determine if any of the moderator variables significantly reduced PTSD symptom severity for these women, thus leading to potential evidence based treatment for female sexual assault survivors. The results indicated that assertiveness was the only statistically significant moderator in reducing PTSD symptom severity.