Researching rape that is not recognised: an auto/biographical understanding of woman-to-woman rape and sexual assault

Rebecca (Bex) Twinley

Chapter 24 in Handbook of Sensitive Research in the Social Sciences, 2025, pp 354-370 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Woman-to-woman rape and sexual assault globally remain an ultimately unaddressed problem. Consequently, victims/survivors must cope with little to no support as they endure post-traumatic responses. In this chapter, I share my auto/biographical experiences of researching the perceived impacts of woman-to-woman rape and sexual assault, the subsequent experience of disclosure, reaction and support, and the consequences for victim/survivor subjective experience of occupations. My findings related to the post-traumatic survival reactions and behaviours explicate the complexities of the victim/survivor experiences; this was equally apparent when they tried to cope and survive throughout their daily lives. My study was the first of its kind to illuminate this aspect of woman-to-woman rape and sexual assault and remains one of very few studies to explore what continues to be largely invisible in the sexual violence discourse and conceptualisations. As a researcher, the significance of my positionality forced me to consider what is meant by sensitive—let alone traumatic—research.

Keywords: Auto/biography; Occupational therapy; Survival; Trauma; Woman-to-woman assault (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035315222
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