Campbell, R. (2006). Rape survivors’ experiences with the legal and medical systems: Do rape victim advocates make a difference? Violence Against Women, 12, 30-45.

Key Points: Survivors of sexual assault who were assisted by rape crisis center advocates received more medical and legal services, and were less distressed by their interactions with law enforcement and medical personnel.  

Summary: This study looked at women who were treated in emergency rooms after reporting rape. Two hospitals were included in the study: one had a policy of paging a rape crisis advocate when a victim arrived, and the other did not. Participants included 36 women who worked with rape victim advocates and 45 who did not.

Survivors were asked about medical and legal services that were offered, secondary victimization behaviors by medical and law enforcement staff, and their emotional responses to the secondary victimization.

Victims who worked with advocates had more police reports taken (59% vs. 41%) and were less likely to experience secondary victimization behaviors from medical and legal personnel. They were more likely to be offered emergency contraception (33% vs. 14%) and information about/treatment for STDs. They were less likely to blame themselves for the assault (54% vs. 82%) and less reluctant to seek further help (67% vs. 91%).

The author recommended that rape crisis centers continue to work with medical and legal systems to streamline response systems and increase the use of advocate services.

Topics: Rape crisis centers; secondary victimization; victim services

Kaysen, D., Neighbors, C., Martell, J., Fossos, N. & Larimer, M. (2006). Incapacitated rape and alcohol abuse. Addictive Behaviors, 31, 1820-1832.

Key Points: High rates of alcohol consumption both predicted and followed sexual assault among a sample of college students.

Summary: Male and female students at three colleges completed questionnaires about alcohol use at three time points over three years. Incapacitated rape was assessed with the question, “have you ever been pressured or forced to have sex with someone because you were too drunk to prevent it?” More women than men reported ever having experienced incapacitated sexual assault (10.0% vs. 5.7%).

Students who drank the most and had the most self-reported alcohol-related problems were more likely to experience incapacitated sexual assault. The relationship was cyclical: after sexual assault, students drank more and had more alcohol-related problems. Women who had never experienced incapacitated rape and who were not raped during the study period drank less than other students.

Results from the study indicated that programs to discourage high-risk drinking among college students may help reduce incidence of sexual assault. The researchers suggested that early intervention following sexual assault may help prevent later increases in alcohol use and alcohol-related problems.

Topics: Alcohol; college

Stermac, L., Del Bove, G., Addison, M. (2004). Stranger and acquaintance sexual assault of adult males. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 19, 901-915.

Key Points: Sexual assaults of males by strangers tend to occur outdoors and are more likely to involve weapons and multiple perpetrators than assaults perpetrated by acquaintances. Severity and types of injuries due to sexual assault are similar in men and women.

Summary: In this descriptive study, researchers looked at the records of three groups of clients at a Canadian Sexual Assault Care Center: male victims of stranger assault (n=64); male victims of non-stranger assault (n=81); and female victims of non-stranger assault (n=106).

Male survivors from both groups were more likely to be living in shelters, institutions (such as transitional housing) or on the street. They were also significantly more likely to have a physical disability than female victims of non-stranger assault.

While acquaintance assaults of men and women usually took place in the assailant’s home (44.3% vs. 43.4%), male acquaintance assaults were significantly more likely to take place in an institution (10.1% vs 0%). Stranger assaults of men were more likely to take place outside, involve multiple perpetrators, and involve use of a weapon, although injuries were similar among the groups. All received similar levels of care at the hospital, although men were admitted more often than women.

The findings suggested that men who were homeless and disabled were at higher risk for sexual assault by strangers, and that safer housing options were needed.

Topics: Injury; male rape; vulnerability

Walker, J., Archer, J., & Davies, M. (2005). Effects of rape on men: A descriptive analysis. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 34, 69-80.

Key Points: Male victims of rape tend to react in an emotionally “controlled” way (calm, composed or subdued) immediately after the event. Long-term effects of sexual assault on men include depression, anger, anxiety, and emotional distancing from others.

Summary: To describe the experiences of male rape victims who were not in a clinical setting, men who had been anally raped were recruited to participate in a mail-in survey. Forty men provided details of the assault, their immediate reactions, and the long-term effects. Seventy percent of the men were between the ages of 16-25 when the incident occurred. Only 10% of the rapes were committed by strangers.

Most men (87%) felt frozen fear, helplessness, or submission during the attack, although some (27%) were able to fight back at least somewhat. The majority of men reported that feeling helpless and out of control was worse than the sexual aspects of the assault. Almost all of the men reported long-term depression as a consequence of the assault, and most experienced long-term confusion about their sexual identity.

Recommendations included providing male victims the same support services offered to women, and more community education and outreach to increase awareness of the prevalence and impact of male rape.

Topics: Effects; male rape; survivors

 

Updated 08/01/07