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Factors Related to the Psychological Impacts of Rape on the Victim

NCJ Number
80239
Journal
Journal of Abnormal Psychology Volume: 90 Issue: 6 Dated: (December 1981) Pages: 562-567
Author(s)
J Norris; S Feldman-Summers
Date Published
1981
Length
6 pages
Annotation
One hundred seventy-nine adult rape victims completed a questionnaire that assessed (a) whether they reported the rape to a public agency, (b) victim vulnerability to claims of responsibility, (c) presence of understanding others, and (d) severity of the assault.
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which these variables were related to adverse psychological impacts. The impacts assessed by the questionnaire included psychosomatic symptoms, decreased sexual frequency and satisfaction, and reclusiveness. With the exception of reporting versus nonreporting, each of the predictor variables was significantly related to a negative psychological impact. (Publisher abstract)