These summaries were written by SVPEP staff and are based on original papers published within the last 2 years. The information available on this web site is provided as a public service and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the Arizona Department of Health Services, or the University of Arizona. To conduct an individual search or locate older articles use the Search Summary Database which includes over 600 articles related to sexual violence.

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. [Posted December 2006]

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

Miller, A. K., Markman, K. D., & Handley, I. M.  (2007). Self-blame among sexual assault victims prospectively predicts revictimization: A perceived sociolegal context model of risk.  Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 29, 129-136. [Posted June 2006].

Key Points: Sexual assault victims who perceived the law as permissive of nonconsensual sex are more likely to blame themselves for their assault.   Feelings of self-blame place victims at greater risk of sexual revictimization during a 4.2 month period.

Summary: The study explores relationships between sexual assault, self-blame and sexual revictimization (SRV).  Participants of the study consisted of 144 undergraduate females at a Midwestern University who reported adolescent sexual assault experiences occurring after age 14.  Each participant was administered the SRV version of the SES and the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory.  Participants also completed interviews about their sexual assault experiences and a survey on legal perceptions of heterosexual interaction resulting in intercourse. All participants completed the SRV version of the SES 4.2 months later.  This investigation found that the degree of self-blame women experience following a sexual assault can influence subsequent victimization.  Women who have greater perceptions that the law permits men’s behavior of engaging in nonconsensual sex are more likely to blame themselves for their assault or that they failed to prevent their assaults. 

Limitations:  The study included a sample that was primarily Caucasian (96.4%).  Caucasian women may have different legal perceptions of sexual assault than women from different ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Topics: secondary victimization, college, effects

Yamawaki, N.  (2007). Rape perception and the function of ambivalent sexism and gender-role traditionality. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22, 406-423. [Posted June 2008].
 
Key Points: Assumptions about rape by outside observers are influenced by gender-role traditionality (GRT), benevolent sexism (BS), hostile sexism (HS), and on the relationship between the victim and perpetrator. 

Summary: At a private university in the Rocky Mountain region, 126 undergraduate males and females were assigned to a stranger or date-rape scenario and asked to complete several surveys to assess the impact that BS, HS, and GRT had on external observer’s rape perceptions and the relationship between ambivalent sexism (AS) and GRT.  Three forms of secondary victimization were assessed in the study: minimization of seriousness of rape, blaming the rape victim, and excusing the rapist. The results support previous findings that BS, HS, and GRT significantly influence external observers’ rape perceptions.  External observers use different reasons to judge the rape incident, victim, and rapist.  Observers minimize rape, blame the victim, and excuse the rapist more in cases of date rape than stranger rape.  Those who score higher on HS scale deny victim’s psychological damage, level of violence, and the fact that the incident was rape.
   
Limitations: May not be able to generalize results of the study.

Topics:  community attitudes/responses, secondary victimization

Young, B. J., & Furman, W.  (2008). Interpersonal factors in the risk for sexual victimization and its recurrence during adolescence.  Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 37, 297-309. [Posted August 2008]
 
Key Points: Initial incident of sexual aggression is usually followed by another incident of aggression; risks associated with interpersonal variables remain consistent across multiple incidents of victimization.

Summary:  Data was collected from 200 tenth graders from a Western metropolitan area to examine developmental patterns of sexual aggression in adolescence and determine risk associated with interpersonal risk factors.  Measures that were taken included; sexual victimization, romantic styles, romantic competency, sexual experience, and rejection sensitivity.  The findings showed that 65% of those who indicated an initial incident of aggression reported a repeat incident.  Repeated incidents followed on average of 1.33 years after initial incident.  Risk factors seem to be consistent across time which may increase vulnerability to sexual aggression. 

Limitations:  It is unknown how interactions between interpersonal variables may influence risk for sexual victimization. 

Topics: adolescent/high school, secondary victimization, risk

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Updated 09/19/08