Sarah, 19, lives with her mother in a small, conservative, rural community. Sarah's father died when she was 16 years old. Sarah's uncle occasionally visits on holidays. Three months ago, on a recent visit by her uncle, while her mother was out of the house, her uncle told Sarah that he loved her and then threw her down on the couch and raped her. He later told her that she had seduced him, and to never mention what happened. Sarah was terrified, guilty, and didn't know what to do. Later she was relieved to have her period. At least she wasn't pregnant. But she became anxious and withdrawn. She wouldn't go out, except to church with her mother. She had trouble sleeping and was filled with shame and guilt.

Write in relation to the following;

a.   Choose theoretical perspectives to assess the client's situation.

b.   Include theories that apply to the client's development stages and factors that may hinder the client's development to include psychosocial, sociological, and community organization.

c.   Address Sara's strengths and weaknesses and how might the social worker proceed with interventions.

Answer:

The case study of Sarah is explained in detail below.

Step-by-step explanation

1. Several theoretical models explain rape. The control theory, also known as the feminist theory of rape, suggests that men exert social control over women through violence and rape. Another theory suggests that exposure to sexually explicit visual content and pornographic material is the root cause of rape. 

This theory is known as the social learning theory of rape, which suggests that rape and sexual assault are learned behaviors (Ellis, 1989). Men imitate the sexual assault modeled in the media or in real life. 

Various reasons can be attributed to Sarah's rape. Her uncle chose Sarah because she was an easy target. He could sexually exploit her sister's daughter and get away with it. He waited for Sarah's mother to leave the house, thereby planning the timing of the rape carefully. He was also confident that Sarah would feel guilty and blame herself for the act. He ascertained this fact by telling her that she had seduced him.

2. Sarah is entering her young adult years but is still in her late adolescence. She lost her father three years back, which is relatively recent. 

Sarah is in the process of identity development. She is still coping with the grief and sadness of her father's death. A traumatic event such as rape can negatively impact her identity development and cause emotional outbursts. She may develop hopelessness, distrust, and intense psychological distress. Her refusal to share this incident with her mother or others indicate that she is distraught, anxious, and less trusting of others.

3.Strengths of Sarah

One of the positive aspects of Sarah is that although she has withdrawn herself, she goes to church with her mother. This interest in seeking community support can be used as a strength to persuade Sarah to attend group therapy. 

Weaknesses of Sarah

Sarah holds herself responsible for the incident. She feels shame for the rape which reflects that she is afraid of the social stigma and taboo associated with it.

Sarah did not inform her mother about the rape. Her decision to not inform her mother would have serious adverse consequences. She needs help and support during this time and concealing matters would lead her to pile up to her negative emotions, such as shame and guilt. Also not sharing this information with others would provide more power to the perpetrator and her uncle is more likely to repeat it again.

Sarah's expressed anxiety and social withdrawal after the rape is a negative aftereffect of the trauma. 

The social worker should address the psychological needs of the survivor. He/she should address feelings of self-condemnation, inadequacy, and humiliation and convince Sarah that she was not responsible for the trauma. Sarah should be counseled to address these feelings of embarrassment, shame, and emotional numbing. 

Reference:

1. https://cyber.harvard.edu/vaw00/theories_of_rape.html
2. https://www.jstor.org/stable/800542?seq=1
3. https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1029&context=psychology_etds