| Following the traumatic event of sexual assault (SA), victims frequently report mental health problems. Treatment models posit that post-traumatic cognitions or affective states (e.g. shame) may serve to increase trauma-related distress. This study examined adaptive (positive reappraisal) and maladaptive (self-blame) cognitive emotion regulation strategies as mediators between alcohol vs. non-alcohol involved SA and levels of traumatic shame. A sample (N = 164) of female-identified college students reported at least one instance of sexual victimization since age 14. Ninety-five women reported alcohol-involved assault. In a double mediation model, neither self-blame nor positive reappraisal mediated the relationship between SA and trauma-related shame. However, self-blame significantly predicted higher levels of shame, and strength of ethnic identity was significantly negatively correlated with traumatic shame. These results suggest that self-blame may be associated with increased shame, whereas stronger ethnic identity may serve as a protective factor. Implications for treatment and future research are discussed. Key Words: sexual assault, cognitive emotion regulation, shame, self-blame, positive reappraisal |