PTSD in victims of sexual assault: test of a major component of the Ehlers–Clark theory

We investigated a major component of the Ehlers–Clark theory of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of 50 female victims of sexual assault. In particular, we tested the hypothesis that the victims’ appraisals of the trauma and its consequences contribute significantly to the persistence of PTSD symptoms. The results indicated that the victims’ appraisals of the sexual assault and its sequelae are strongly and positively related to PTSD symptoms. This finding remained significant after statistically controlling for the perceived severity of the assault. Most of the results are consistent with the Ehlers–Clark theory.