Compares male and female rape reporting behavior using data from the National Crime and Victimization Survey for 897 rape victims. Data indicate that the situational characteristics of rape and factors that influence reporting a rape differ by sex. Women reported victimization more frequently than did men. (SLD)

In two experiments, subjects made attributions after reading a description of a rape. Responsibility was more strongly attributed to the victim's character for unrespectable victims, and to chance for respectable victims. Males blamed the victim's character more than females; females emphasized the role of chance more than males. (Author/GC)

Examines the effects of race (black or white) of assailant and victim of subjects on perceptions of date rape. Results indicated that date rape encounters were perceived as less serious if the victim was black, and that females were more likely to define the forced sexual encounter as a crime and to be in favor of prosecuting the perpetrator. (JPS)

Public reactions to rape affect victims in a variety of ways and have implications for psychological services and legal adjudication of rape defendants. To investigate reactions to rape, 144 undergraduates were randomly assigned to a 2 (male versus female subjects) x 2 (victim with versus without rape history) x 3 (high versus medium versus low…

While it has been asserted that rape has increased in frequency over the past generation, part of this increase may be due to a greater willingness to report rape to the authorities. A study was conducted to examine the frequency of rape and to describe the characteristics of rape victims. A random questionnaire survey of 4,340 adults in five…

Shaver's Defensive Attribution concept suggests that subjects who perceive themselves as similar to a rape victim attribute less responsibility to the victim, thus protecting themselves against blame should they ever be victims. Studies have supported this interpretation for females, but have reported difficulty interpreting the responses of…

This study examined the effects of victim gender and type of crime on college students' attributions of responsibility to the victim for the crime. Male (N=48) and female (N=48) undergraduates responded to one of four experimental vignettes depicting either a rape or a robbery committed by a male stranger against either a male or female victim.…

Investigates undergraduates' reactions toward hypothetical male survivor's disclosure of sexual abuse. Reports that when age of incident was higher, survivor was seen as less masculine; more responsible for abuse; and sex role and rape myths were strongly applied to him. Less positive reactions were associated with disclosing to other men, abuse…

The purpose of this study was to explore the difference between the sexual abuse of males and females. The study group was a caseload of clients from the Northside Family Resource Center in the Houston area, a branch of the Mental Health Mental Retardation Association (MHMRA) of Harris County, Texas. The researcher studied 21 children, age 10…

Rape is believed to be one of the most underreported crimes with 3 to 10 rapes committed for every one that is reported. Rape represents an extreme behavior which can be placed on a continuum of sexual aggression defined by degrees of coercion and force. The prevalence of sexual aggression among college students nationally was examined in 3,187…

Investigated reactions to a woman who presumably had been raped by a stranger or an acquaintance. Undergraduates read one of two rape descriptions prior to watching a videotape of the woman who (they were led to believe) had been the victim of the rape. Females and males showed markedly different reactions to stranger and acquaintance rape and…

Female and male undergraduates judged impact of the rape experience on victims' psychological adjustment and indicated their likely counseling goals. Results are discussed in terms of popular assumptions about rape victims and sex differences in identification with and empathy for female rape victims. Implications for training are noted. (Author)

College students (N=18) wrote scripts about "typical" rape and "typical" seduction. Scripts were coded on 20 dimensions. Results showed that rape and seduction scripts were very different. Most subjects described blitz rape in which woman outdoors was attacked by male stranger. Seductions described were usually indoors and…

This study explores the existence of a continuum of sexual aggression among males and a corresponding continuum of sexual victimization among females. A 12-question Sexual Experiences Survey written in parallel versions for men and women was administered to 3,862 university students. Three levels of sexual aggression/victimization ranging from…

Administered the Sexual Experiences Survey to a national sample of women and men enrolled in 32 institutions of higher education. Women's reports of experiencing and men's reports of perpetrating rape, attempted rape, sexual coercion, and sexual contact were obtained. The findings support published assertions of high rates of rape and other forms…