NCJ Number
138091
Journal
Journal of American College Health Volume: 40 Issue: 4 Dated: (January 1992) Pages: 157-165
Date Published
1992
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This literature review of acquaintance rape on college campuses discusses the social, psychological, and legal aspects of acquaintance rape, as well as the response of college administrators to it.
Abstract
Regarding the prevalence of acquaintance rape among college students, surveys have found that at least one in four college-aged women had been the victim of rape or attempted rape. Victim reporting of the crime to clinicians, police, or college administrators has been extremely low, however. The literature on the cultural context of acquaintance rape indicates that male sexual aggression tends to be accepted as a normal part of male-female interactions, and female skills at resistance are expected to act as the controls for the male. Thus, when acquaintance rape or attempted rape occurs, the male behavior is not shocking, and the female behavior is viewed as the variable that determined the outcome of the interaction. From the legal perspective, acquaintance rape is difficult to prove, since it involves the word of the alleged victim against the word of the alleged assailant regarding the consensual aspects of the intercourse. The literature documents the relationship between alcohol consumption and acquaintance rape, yet research on the nature of this relationship is not widely available. This article also reviews the literature on the assailants and victims of acquaintance rape, as well as institutional strategies to address acquaintance rape in the college context. A comprehensive strategy that encompasses primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention and intervention efforts is advocated. 76 references