NCJ Number
105494
Date Published
1985
Length
100 pages
Annotation
This study examines the effect of victim-offender relationship on rape victims' behaviors, emotions, and perceptions before, during, and after the rape.
Abstract
The rape victim sample (66) was drawn from a university population, with victims' ages ranging from 18 to 25 years. All subjects indicated being involved in an incident which conformed to the Ohio legal code's definition of rape, although not all subjects had reported the incident to the police. Based on symbolic interactionist theory, the study hypothesized that the victim-offender role relationship would affect the type of force the offender used, the victim's responses, and the immediate and later effects on the victim. The 66 subjects were divided into three groups according to their relationship to the offender: stranger (16), nonromantic acquaintance (20), and romantic acquaintance (30). Three questionnaires were used in interviews with the subjects: the Womens' Sexual Experiences Survey, the Womens' Sexual Experiences Interview, and the Dating Behavior Interview. For the variables sampled in this study, the hypothesis was not supported, in that the rape and its impact was generally similar for all victims regardless of the victim-offender relationship. The incident was negative and traumatic. Apparently the rape event itself was so traumatic, the idiosyncratic effects of the victim-offender relationship were overshadowed. The symbolic interactionist theory did apply, however, regarding how the victims labeled the experience. If the offender was a romantic acquaintance, the event was not perceived as rape. 11 tables, 57 references, and appended study instruments.