Psychology of Violence, Vol 16(1), Jan 2026, 1-17; doi:10.1037/vio0000610
Objective: The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review (2006–2024) of the published peer-reviewed literature on unacknowledged sexual assault (SA; i.e., sexual assaults not labeled as such). The review sought to answer four research questions. (a) What is known about SA acknowledgment in populations beyond college women? (b) What are factors that contribute to not acknowledging SA beyond assault characteristics? (c) What are differences in postassault outcomes between unacknowledged and acknowledged SA survivors? (d) Do unacknowledged and acknowledged SA survivors differ in revictimization risk? Method: A systematic review of the SA acknowledgment literature was conducted in October 2024 via database searches (Medline, APA PsycInfo, Scopus) and review of reference sections of identified studies. Results: A total of 83 articles representing 76 samples of 29,786 participants were included. Included studies supported higher rates of unacknowledged SA among cisgender men and lower rates of unacknowledged SA in community samples of women. Multiple factors contributed to survivors’ acknowledgment decision, including the “match” between the assault and SA stereotypes, as well as motivational factors. Several social-cognitive outcomes differed between acknowledged and unacknowledged survivors, including assault disclosure, self-blame, and shame. Finally, unacknowledged survivors had high rates of sexual revictimization. Conclusions: This systematic review documented advancements in our understanding of the prevalence of unacknowledged SA, motivational factors affecting acknowledgment, and recovery following unacknowledged SA. However, notable gaps remain, pointing to a need for longitudinal research on diverse groups of unacknowledged survivors’ recovery and factors associated with changing acknowledgment status. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)