Impact of Sexual Assault as a Function of Perpetrator Type

• NCJ Number: 209192
• Journal: Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 16 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2001 Pages: 992-1007
• Author(s): Kayleen A. Culbertson; Crystal Dehle
• Date Published: October 2001
• Length: 16 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined whether the type of relationship between victim and perpetrator at the time of a sexual assault predicted psychological consequences for victims.

Abstract

Out of 206 female college undergraduates recruited for this study, 96 women reported being forced or pressured to have sexual relations at some time in their lives. For these women, an average period of 5.69 years had passed since the assault. A personal information sheet was completed by the women to obtain demographic data and information on sexual assault history, including physical injury and perpetrator type. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised assessed the extent to which a life event has caused distress; the Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire assessed current satisfaction with a variety of sex-related activities; and the Relationship Conflict Scale assessed the degree of conflict in a relationship and the form the conflict takes. The study hypothesized that victims who had greater relationship involvement with the perpetrator at the time of the assault would report less current sexual satisfaction and greater impact from the event in the areas of intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms. The study found that women in a cohabiting, marital, or acquaintance relationship with the perpetrator reported more hyperarousal than did individuals in a dating or sexually intimate relationship with the perpetrator. Also, married and cohabiting victims reported more hyperarousal than did women in the acquaintance group. Women sexually assaulted by a married or cohabiting partner also reported more intrusive symptoms than individuals in a dating or sexually intimate relationship. Further, women in a sexually intimate relationship with the perpetrator recorded lower intrusion scores than individuals assaulted by an acquaintance. One limitation of the current study was the lack of a sufficient number of women who had been sexually assaulted by a stranger. Other study limitations are noted, and suggestions are offered for further research. 1 table, 1 figure, and 36 references