NCJ Number
134543
Date Published
1991
Length
28 pages
Annotation
Data collected from a multiethnic (African American and white American) community sample of 55 women who had been victims of rape or attempted rape examined internal and external factors as mediational processes and coping strategies that link various aspects of women's rape experiences to the initial and lasting effects on their postrape adjustment, attitude toward sex and intimacy, and lifestyle changes to prevent future assaults.
Abstract
The Wyatt Sex History Questionnaire, a 478-item structured interview, was used to obtain both retrospective and current data on women's consensual and abusive sexual experiences. Four traumatic aspects of the rape experience were examined: the age when rape last occurred (recency of abuse), the severity of the incidents, the number of rapes per assault, and the victim's relationship to the perpetrator. The victim's attribution for rape was used as an internal mediator. To whom the victim disclosed her abuse, the support she received, the actions she took, and whether the police or other agencies became involved were included as external mediators to assess which of these factors can heighten or lessen initial and lasting effects of rape. Self-blame for each sexual assault, the number of repeated rapes per incident, and the severity of attempted and completed acts of rape predicted negative effects on women's overall adjustment as well as negative initial and lasting attitudes toward sex and intimacy. The involvement of police and other agencies such as emergency rooms and counseling centers can also negatively impact the effects of rape years after its occurrence. 4 notes, 63 references, and appended coding procedures