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University of Illinois Chicago
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University of Illinois Chicago

Criminology, Law and Justice

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Photo of Ullman, Sarah

Sarah Ullman, PhD

CLJ Faculty

Criminology, Law, and Justice

Pronouns: Sher/Her/Hers

Contact

Building & Room:

4050B BSB

Address:

1007 W Harrison St.

Office Phone:

(312) 996-6679

Email:

seullman@uic.edu

CV Download:

CV Ullman OCT 2021 - Sarah Ullman

About

Professor

Dr. Sarah Ullman is Professor of Criminology, Law, &; Justice and Affiliate Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a social psychologist whose research concerns the impact of sexual assault and traumatic life events on women’s health and substance abuse outcomes and rape avoidance/prevention. She has received funding from the NIMH, NIAAA, and foundations for her research. She has conducted NIH-funded longitudinal studies of risk and protective factors for PTSD and substance abuse and other health-related outcomes in rape victims, was Co-investigator on an NIH grant to evaluate a social support network intervention for rape victims and their informal support networks and is currently conducting an NIH funded study of rape victims and their informal support network members. Dr. Ullman has published extensively about sexual assault, including a book entitled Talking About Sexual Assault: Society’s Response to Survivors by the American Psychological Association.

Selected Publications

Ullman, S.E., Waterman, E.A., Edwards, K.M., Marshall, J., Dardis, C. M., Rodriguez, L. M., & Dworkin, E. R. (in press). The feasibility of a protocol for collecting victim data via disclosure recipient referrals. Violence Against Women.

Bogen, K.W., Orchowski, L.M., Ullman, S. (in press). Disclosing sexual assault on social media: Questions for research and practice. Women & Therapy Special Issue: Resistance & Recovery in the #MeToo Era.

Ullman, S.E. (2021). Correlates of social reactions to victims’ disclosures of sexual assault and intimate partner violence: A systematic review. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse. Online first publication.

O’Callaghan, E., & Ullman, S.E. (2021). Are all substance-involved sexual assaults alike? A comparison of victim alcohol use, drug, use, and combined substance use in sexual Assaults. Women and Criminal Justice. Online first publication.

Dardis, C. M., Davin, K. R., Rodriguez, L. M., Dworkin, E. R., Edwards, K. M., Ullman, S. E., & Waterman, E.A. (2021). Prospective predictors of receiving disclosures of partner abuse and sexual assault among college students. Psychology of Violence, 11(3), 307-311.

Dardis, C.M., Rodriguez, L., Ullman, S.E., Waterman, E.A., Dworkin, E. R., & Edwards, K.M. (2021). Bidirectional associations between alcohol use and intimate partner violence and sexual assault victimization among college women. Addictive Behaviors. Online first publication.

Edwards, K.M., Ullman, S.E., Siller, L., Lee, K., & Murphy, S. (2021). Posttraumatic growth in women with histories of addiction and victimization. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Online first publication.

O’Callaghan, E., Lorenz, K., Ullman, S.E., & Kirkner, A. (2021). Dyadic study of effects of sexual assault disclosure on survivors’ close relationships. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36, 5033-5059.

Kirkner, A., Lorenz, K., & Ullman, S.E.  (2021). Recommendations for responding to survivors of sexual assault: A qualitative study of survivors and support providers. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36, 1005-1028.

Waterman, E. A., Dworkin, E. R., Dardis, C. M., Ullman, S. E., Edwards, K. M., & Rodriguez, L. M. (2021). Exploring the association between anticipated and actual responses to disclosures of intimate partner violence and sexual assault. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 38, 1131-1151

Harris, C., Ullman, S.E., Shepp, V., & O’Callaghan, E. (2020). Multiple perpetrator sexual assault: Correlates of PTSD and depressive symptoms. Journal of Sexual Aggression.  Online first publication.

Ullman, S.E. (2020). Rape resistance: A critical piece of women’s empowerment and holistic rape prevention. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma. Online first publication.

Edwards, K., Ullman, S.E., Waterman, E., & Dardis, T. (2020). Predictors of disclosure recipients’ social reactions to victims’ disclosures of dating and sexual violence: A longitudinal study of college students. Journal of interpersonal Violence. Online first publication.

O’Callaghan, E., & Ullman, S.E. (2020). Differences in women’s substance-related sexual assaults: Force, impairment, and combined assault types. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Online first publication.

Edwards, K., Waterman, E., Ullman, S., Rodriguez, L., Dardis, C., & Dworkin, E. A. (2020). A pilot evaluation of an intervention to improve social reactions to sexual and partner violence disclosures. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Online first publication.

Edwards, K., Waterman, E., & Dardis, T., Ullman, S.E., Rodriguez, L., & Dworkin, E. (2020). A program to improve social reactions to sexual and partner violence disclosures reduces posttraumatic stress in subsequently severely-victimized participants. Psychological Trauma. Online first publication.

Waterman, E. A., Edwards, K. M., Baker, M. J., Ullman, S. E., Dardis, C. M., & Rodriguez, L. M. (2020). A mixed-method process evaluation of an intervention to improve social reactions to disclosures of sexual assault and partner abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Online first publication.

Waterman, E., Edwards, K., Rodriguez, L., Ullman, S., & Dardis, C. (2020). Predictors of uptake and retention in an intervention to improve social reactions to disclosures of sexual assault and partner abuse. Journal of American College Health. Online first publication.

Ullman, S.E., O’Callaghan, E., Shepp, V., & Harris, C. (2020). Reasons for and experiences of sexual assault nondisclosure in a diverse community sample. Journal of Family Violence, 35, 839-851.

Ullman, S.E., & Lorenz, K. (2020). African American sexual assault survivors and mental health seeking: A mixed methods study. Violence Against Women, 26, 1941-1965.

Ullman, S.E., & Lorenz, K. (2020). Correlates of African American sexual assault survivors’ medical care seeking. Women and Health, 60, 502-516.

Notable Honors

2017-2018, Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy Faculty Fellowship, Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy

Education

PhD, Social Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

Selected Presentations

  • Waterman, E., Edwards, K., Baker, M., & Ullman, S.E. (2019, August). Process evaluation of an intervention to reduce disclosure recipients’ negative social reactions. Paper presented as part of symposium at the American Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.
  • Ullman, S.E. (2019, June). Invited discussant. An examination of campus alcohol use and
    interpersonal violence disclosures, drinking to cope, and perspectives on prevention. Symposium presented at Research Society on Alcoholism, Minneapolis, MN.
  • Waterman, E., Edwards, K., & Ullman, S.E. (2019, June). The correlation of alcohol use with social reactions to disclosure of sexual assault and intimate partner violence. Paper presented in
    symposium, Research Society on Alcoholism, Minneapolis, MN.
  • Ullman, S.E. (2019, March). African American sexual assault survivors and mental health seeking: Qualitative interview findings. Symposium discussant presented at the Association for Women in Psychology Conference. Newport, RI.
  • Ullman, S.E. (2019, March). Understanding men’s Shifting roles in sexual violence victimization, intervention, and perpetration. Symposium discussant presented at the Association for Women in Psychology Conference. Newport, RI.
  • O’Callaghan, E., & Ullman, S.E. (2019, February). Sexual assault disclosure and social reactions: Comparisons between Latina survivors and White, non-Hispanic survivors. SPSP PreConference on Sexual Assault. Portland, OR.
  • Kirkner, A., Lorenz, K., & Ullman, S.E. (2018, November). Sexual Assault Survivors’ Post
    Traumatic Growth: Differences across the Social Ecology. Paper presented at American Society of Criminology, Atlanta, GA.
  • Ullman, S.E., Lorenz, K., & O’Callaghan, E. (2018, November). Risk Avoidance Strategies after Sexual Assault: A Dyadic Study of Survivors and Informal Support Providers. Paper presented at American Society of Criminology, Atlanta, GA.
  • Lorenz, K., Kirkner, A., & Ullman, S.E. (November, 2018). A Qualitative Study of Sexual
    Assault Survivors’ Post-Assault Legal System Experiences. Paper presented at American Society of Criminology, Atlanta, GA.
  • Shepp, V., O’Callaghan, E.O., Kirkner, A., Lorenz, K., & Ullman, S.E. (2018, November). A Qualitative Study of Sexual Assault Survivors and Their Experiences with Sex Work. Paper presented at American Society of Criminology, Atlanta, GA.
  • Dworkin, E., Brill, C., & Ullman, S.E. (2018, November). Associations between social reactions to interpersonal victimization and psychopathology: A meta-analysis. Poster presented at the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies. Washington, DC.
  • Haney, L., Littleton, H., & Ullman, S.E. (2018, November). Reactions to a sexual assault disclosure: Evaluation of an alternative scoring method for the Social Reactions Questionnaire. Poster presented at the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies. Washington, DC.
  • Ullman, S.E. (August, 2017). Sexual assault and helpseeking. Presentation and webinar at the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. Chicago, IL.

Research Currently in Progress

Research Grants

Principal Investigator, Informal social network dyads and comorbid problem drinking and PTSD in rape victims, Administrative Supplement Award, National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. $22,538, TC 9/13/2021-7/31/2023.

Principal Investigator, Informal social network dyads and comorbid problem drinking and PTSD in rape victims, National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. R01 $894,400, TC 9/25/2020-7/31/2023.

Coinvestigator/Subawardee. Randomized Control Trial of an Intervention to Reduce Disclosure Recipients’ Negative Social Reactions and Victims’ Psychological Distress and Problem Drinking. National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. R34, PI: Katie Edwards, $664,120 TC, 9/15/2017-8/31/2020

Consultant, “Process and Outcome Evaluation of a Transitional Living Program for Women with Histories of Substance Use Disorders and Domestic and/or Sexual Violence.” Office of Violence against Women/Department of Justice grant.  PI: Katie Edwards, January 2017-December 2021.