NCJ Number
124789
Journal
Journal of Research in Personality Volume: 24 Issue: 1 Dated: (1990) Pages: 111-122
Date Published
1990
Length
12 pages
Annotation
The relationship among rape knowledge, conceived as knowledge about the aftereffects of sexual assault, beliefs about the aversiveness of the rape experience, attitudes toward rape, and self-report likelihood of raping were explored.
Abstract
A scale measuring knowledge of rape trauma and one measuring beliefs about the aversiveness of the rape victim's experience were created and included along with measures of attitudes toward rape and self-report likelihood of raping in questionnaires completed by 276 male and female undergraduate students. Thirty-six percent of the sample reported knowing a rape victim; 33 percent of the males indicated some likelihood of committing a rape. Compared to males, females had more knowledge about rape trauma, perceived the rape experience to be more aversive for the victim, and held fewer rape-supportive attitudes. Those women who considered rape a less serious problem tended to have less knowledge about the traumatic repercussions of rape. For both females and males, greater knowledge of the aftereffects of rape were associated with higher estimates of victim suffering and with less rape-supportive attitudes. Males indicating more likelihood of raping displayed less knowledge about rape trauma, perceived the victim's experience to be less unpleasant, held more rape-supportive attitudes, and were less likely to have known a victim. In terms of practical application, the findings suggest that educational approaches designed to convey the negative consequences of rape for the victim may prove effective in reducing the incidence of sexual assault. 1 table, 39 references.