Anger gives people the strength to fight back

Anger affects survivors of sexual violence

How does anger affect survivors of sexual violence?

» If survivors always bottle up feelings of anger or turn it in on themselves, it can have negative physical and emotional effects
» Physical effects can include digestive problems; high blood pressure; heart and circulation problems; being more sensitive to pain; and lowered immune system
» Emotional effects may include depression; sleep problems; addiction to substances to blot out or cope with feelings; being unkind to or bullying others; compulsions such as overeating or overworking or other out-of-control behaviour
» When people feel and react like this it can damage relationships with other people. This can lead to increased isolation and can affect self-esteem

RCS-ANGER-4th-PROOF.pdf (rapecrisisscotland.org.uk)