| Summary: | Dissertation === The impact of stranger rape on the victim and those close to the victim is widely researched. However,
little data is available on couples’ experiences of stranger rape and their relationships in the aftermath
of such trauma. The researcher aimed to explore and gain an in-depth understanding of the unique
experiences and relationship dynamics of couples dealing with stranger rape in order to enhance what
is known about these couples. A qualitative research methodology was employed which consisted of
conducting unstructured in-depth interviews with each of the three participant couples as well as
obtaining individual written reflections from each participant. The study explicated unique descriptions
of each couple’s experience of stranger rape, illuminated the interconnectedness and recursiveness
between the rape and the couples’ relational and system dynamics and identified possible systemic
effects at play in these couples’ relationships in the aftermath of such trauma.
Key terms: stranger rape, couples, post-traumatic stress disorder, relational dynamics, systems, family
systems theory, qualitative research, hermeneutics, social constructionism, postmodernism === Psychology === M.A. (Clinical Psychology)
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