Anne P. DePrince, PhD

PTSD Awareness

June 27 is PTSD Awareness Day. In a world where traumas are all too common — from natural disasters to combat and mass shootings as well as sexual assault and intimate partner violence — here are a few things to know about PTSD. What Is PTSD? PTSD is short for posttraumatic stress disorder, a diagnosis that appears in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical ManualContinue reading “PTSD Awareness”

Is There an Antidote to Alienation after Trauma?

A sexual assault survivor mentions feeling disconnected from people with whom she once felt close. Another explains that he feels like a stranger to himself. In interview after interview with my research team, survivors of interpersonal trauma have shared descriptions such as these. Some survived child abuse or adolescent dating violence; others, intimate partner abuse or sexual assault. Regardless of the type ofContinue reading “Is There an Antidote to Alienation after Trauma?”

Postcards from the Road with Every 90 Seconds

The TSA Agent grabbed my carry-on off of the conveyor belt. “We have to search your bag. You have a library of books in there,” he explained over the din of the security checkpoint. Is there some sort of book limit, I absently wondered to myself? The agent, unpacking my bag, proceeded to pull outContinue reading “Postcards from the Road with Every 90 Seconds”

Countering Myths about Sexual Assault

Myths about sexual assault remain common, including in courtrooms. This was certainly true during the recent civil trial in the case filed by E. Jean Carroll against Donald Trump. To counter those myths, I took to the pages of The Conversation in a piece published this past month. In case you missed it (ICYMI), checkContinue reading “Countering Myths about Sexual Assault”

What do Earth Day and Sexual Assault Awareness Month Have in Common?

Here we are on the final day of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, a week after Earth Day. I’ve been thinking about the many colorful flyers I’ve seen this past month (in real life and on social media), advertising seemingly separate events: One set celebrating Earth Day and another raising awareness about sexual assault, including for DenimContinue reading “What do Earth Day and Sexual Assault Awareness Month Have in Common?”

Denim Day 2023

The Traumatic Stress Studies Group is proud to join the Colorado Coalition against Sexual Assault as well as survivors, allies, and providers from near and far for Denim Day 2023! Our team wears denim to show our commitment to using research to raise awareness and take action. Will you join us? After all, a worldContinue reading “Denim Day 2023”

The History of Hysteria in Women’s Lives

We’ve probably all heard it before: A woman expresses rage or grief and gets called hysterical. Another discloses sexual harassment or assault, and she gets labeled hysterical. The tendency to write off women’s emotions and experiences as hysterical isn’t an accident of history, as I explored in Every 90 Seconds: Our Common Cause Ending Violence against Women. Since it’s Women’s HistoryContinue reading “The History of Hysteria in Women’s Lives”

As Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month Comes to a Close, What Next?

As February gives way to March, Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month comes to a close. Building on themes related to translating awareness into action from Every 90 Seconds: Our Common Cause Ending Violence against Women, I’ve been thinking about how we can leverage February’s awareness-building to take action all year long to prevent and respondContinue reading “As Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month Comes to a Close, What Next?”

Talking about Violence against Women this Holiday Season

A conversation about intimate violence. A giftwrapped book on violence against women. These may not seem like the best holiday ideas, but just hear me out before you decide. For generations, talking about intimate violence has been taboo. That pattern started to shift with the Women’s Movement of the 1960s and 70s, and kept changingContinue reading “Talking about Violence against Women this Holiday Season”

Bringing Attention to Strangulation in Intimate Violence

I snapped a photo of a couple of red bikes leaning near a spray-painted message about femicide on a quiet side street in Paris in 2019. I was in the midst of writing the proposal for Every 90 Seconds and came across messages like this across the city, which had seen thousands of people marchContinue reading “Bringing Attention to Strangulation in Intimate Violence”