Institutional betrayal is a concept described by psychologist Jennifer Freyd, referring to "wrongdoings perpetrated by an institution upon individuals dependent on that institution, including failure to prevent or respond supportively to wrongdoings by individuals (e.g. sexual assault) committed within the context of the institution". It is an extension of betrayal trauma theory. When institutions such as universities cover up violations such as rape, sexual assault and child sexual abuse (as in the Penn State child sex abuse scandal), this institutional betrayal undermines survivors' recovery. In a landmark study in 2013, Carly P. Smith and Freyd documented psychological harm caused by institutional betrayal. A legal analysis concludes that this study is reliable under the Frye standard and the Daubert standard. The term received increased attention based on White House statements in 2014 about sexual assault on college campuses. The term is also used by the Harvard University student group Our Harvard Can Do Better. Recent debate about how colleges respond to sexual assault by students has brought this issue renewed media attention. Many students who have been sexually assaulted in college have taken to Instagram to provide anonymous accounts of their assault and the college's response. Although sharing accounts of trauma can be helpful in reducing a sense of aloneness, reinforcement via social media may cause an increase in reported PTSD symptoms linked to institutional betrayal. Institutional betrayal can occur within families, governments and the military, organizations, workplaces, religious institutions, or any organizational system in which people are dependent on systemic protection. Individuals who have experienced extensive trauma appear to be both less satisfied with police responses in the face of an intimate partner violence incident and more distrustful of police. Therefore, these individuals may experience feelings of institutional betrayal due to a perceived failure of the police to prevent further revictimization. Individuals who have been frequently retraumatized are also the ones most likely to utilize health care and mental health services. Institutional betrayal in the medical system is currently being investigated in the Canadian health care system. It is hypothesized that institutional betrayal in the medical system will explain symptoms of PTSD, depression and anxiety above and beyond the effects of general tendencies to trust others or the patient satisfaction with the care received.
In academia The experience of betrayal from academic institutions is one of the primary focuses of research on institutional betrayal due in part to political statements and student advocacy and outcry regarding college campus sexual assault around the United States. Along with universities and college campuses, institutional betrayal has been experienced by high school students as well. High school students were shown to express feelings of institutional betrayal correlated with gender-based harassment during school. Additionally, students in high school and university settings have indicated feeling betrayed by their academic institutions due to mishandling cases of bullying due to sexual or gender identity. Beyond issues of institutional betrayal due to omission or commission in systemic, intersectional factors, students have shown feelings of institutional betrayal in university policy. A poll which surveyed students during the 2020 Fall semester through 2021 Winter semester at University of Oregon showed that over half of all responding students indicated feelings of institutional betrayal due to the university's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instructors and students have expressed feelings of betrayal incurred from university administration due to microaggressions and racial stress. Women in particular are at risk of experiencing institutional betrayal due in part to gender-based biases and microaggressions, as well as experience of campus sexual violence. Women of color are shown to more likely experience feelings of institutional betrayal regardless of whether they experienced campus sexual violence.
In medicine Institutional betrayal due to the medical industry is experienced by patients and providers. Patients and doctors can feel betrayed due to systemic issues in medicine (e.g., difficulties due to access, insurance, overall cost, etc.), problems related to organizational response, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, or due to interpersonal issues between a patient and healthcare provider. Current studies being conducted in the Canadian healthcare system further broke down categories of institutional betrayal in two broad categories of "system level" and "doctor level" issues, identifying issues related to healthcare providers as not providing enough psychological support (e.g., not showing compassion, lack of communication, high emotional reactivity to patients) and inadequate medical care (e.g., failure to provide effective care due to lack of training or willingness, or providers not willing to consider alternative treatments or medicines). For example, abuse during childbirth is a primary factor of PTSD after birth, due to the high potential distress and power imbalance. It may prevent women from seeking pre-natal care and using other health care services in the future. In France, the movement #balancetonaccouchement has shed light on the institutional systematic dismissal of complaints by victims. In the United States, mental health care is often handled by primary care physicians (PCPs) rather than by psychiatrists or other prescribing physicians who are specialized in mental health.
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