Understanding recovery from sexual assault among sexual minority women.
Official title: Sexual Assault Recovery Among Sexual Minority Women: A Longitudinal, Multi-Level Study
Funded at University of Washington · NIH-10991343 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how sexual minority women who have experienced sexual assault recover and how things like community support and laws affect their mental health, with the goal of finding better ways to help them heal.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | May 9, 2023 |
| Project end | March 21, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $645,353 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MD017573-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-10991343 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are sexual minority women aged 18-35, particularly those who have experienced sexual assault.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not identify as sexual minority women or who are outside the age range of 18-35 may not receive benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates the recovery experiences of sexual minority women (SMW) who have faced sexual assault, focusing particularly on the mental health impacts such as depression and PTSD. The study aims to explore how broader societal factors, like laws and community support, influence these women's recovery. Over a period of 2.5 years, 2400 SMW aged 18-35 will participate in surveys every six months to provide insights into their mental health and the climate of their communities. This approach will help identify effective interventions and inform policy changes to better support SMW in their recovery journey.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved mental health support and interventions for sexual minority women recovering from sexual assault.
How similar studies have gone: While the minority stress model has been previously studied, this research is novel in its direct examination of climate-level factors affecting recovery among sexual minority women.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Washington
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dworkin, Emily Raphael — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Dworkin, Emily Raphael
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.