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Results for “RAPE”

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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1993

Who consults for rape? Sociodemographic characteristics of rape victims attending a medical rape trauma service at the Emergency Hospital in Oslo.

OBJECTIVE: To consider the number of victims of rape and attempted rape in a city (Oslo) who sought treatment when medical help had been made available. To examine the sociodemographic characteristics of the patient group that applied for help. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: A rape trauma service (RTS) established at the Emergency Hospital in Oslo. The service is free, open around the clock, and independent of police notification. PARTICIPANTS: All patients attending RTS from 1 January to 31 December. RESULTS: 164 women and four men applied for medical treatment in 1987, four times as many as in 1985, before RTS was started. Their ages varied between 14 and 89 years, with a median of 27 years. Women aged 14-39 years were significantly over-represented in relation to the general female population of Oslo. Married women were significantly under-represented among the female patients, both married women raped by their spouses and married women raped by other men. 45 patients stated that they had been sexually assaulted on a previous occasion without reporting the incident or applying for help. CONCLUSION: Compared with the police an available medical service for rape victims reached four times as many rape victims as in 1985, from a larger share of the population.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Rape myth acceptance and rape proclivity: expected dominance versus expected arousal as mediators in acquaintance-rape situations.

Individuals who are high in rape myth acceptance (RMA) have been found to report a high proclivity to rape. In a series of three studies, the authors examined whether the relationship between RMA and self-reported rape proclivity was mediated by anticipated sexual arousal or anticipated enjoyment of sexually dominating the rape victim. Results of all three studies suggest that the anticipated enjoyment of sexual dominance mediates the relationship between RMA and rape proclivity, whereas anticipated sexual arousal does not. These findings are consistent with the feminist argument that rape and sexual violence may be motivated by men's desire to exert power over women. Theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Blitz rape and confidence rape: implications for clinical intervention.

Corroborating a typology of rape proposed 10 years earlier, a recent demographic study of 1,000 incidents of rape concluded that the two predominant types of assault were blitz and confidence rape. Blitz rape is characterized by sudden surprise attack by an unknown assailant using force or the threat of violence to gain control over the victim. In confidence rape, the assailant is known to some degree, however slight, and gains control over his victim by winning her trust. The characteristic details that differentiate one type of rape from the other suggest that the psychological impact on the victim will differ according to the type of rape. Specific clinical approaches for the mental health care of each victim group need to be provided. The immediate concerns of blitz rape victims center around their sense of safety, their fear that the rapist may return, and their dismay at having failed to ward off their attacker. They may respond like typical trauma victims with nightmares, flashbacks, sleep and appetite disturbances, heightened startle responses, anxiety, and depression. Treatment--usually sought soon after the rape--may include psychotherapy, medication, and behavioral desensitization. The confidence rape victims' chief concerns are guilt and self-blame. The rape may be revealed only years later. There is often significant delay between the rape and the victims' request for help. The victims need to be assured that they are deserving of help and need the meaning and definition of rape clarified. Providing services may require active and sustained involvement on the part of clinicians. Confidence rape victims will have strong doubts about their ability to discern who is truly trustworthy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Social perception of rape: how rape myth acceptance modulates the influence of situational factors.

This study assessed the role of rape myth acceptance (RMA) and situational factors in the perception of three different rape scenarios (date rape, marital rape, and stranger rape). One hundred and eighty-two psychology undergraduates were asked to emit four judgements about each rape situation: victim responsibility, perpetrator responsibility, intensity of trauma, and likelihood to report the crime to the police. It was hypothesized that neither RMA nor situational factors alone can explain how rape is perceived; it is the interaction between these two factors that best account for social reactions to sexual aggression. The results generally supported the authors' hypothesis: Victim blame, estimation of trauma, and the likelihood of reporting the crime to the police were best explained by the interaction between observer characteristics, such as RMA, and situational clues. That is, the less stereotypic the rape situation was, the greater was the influence of attitudes toward rape on attributions.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

''If they rape me, I can't blame them": reflections on gender in the social context of child rape in South Africa and Namibia.

The study was based on 77 semi-structured in-depth interviews and 3 small group discussions which were conducted with informants in Windhoek, Namibia and rural Mpumalanga province, South Africa. Children (abuse survivors and others), parents, men and women from the community and a range of key informants (such as police, social workers, health workers, NGO staff and teachers) were asked about their experiences and perceptions of child rape and child rearing. This study has its roots in the recent popular concern about the high prevalence of child rape in Southern Africa. Drawing on the data, we reflect on aspects of the social context of child rape in South Africa and Namibia that at least provide space for, without actually legitimating, these acts. We argue that children are rendered vulnerable to abuse because of a series of ideas which create opportunities, the most important of which is the dominant patriarchal ideology, compounded by the pronounced age hierarchies found in these societies. The high status of men, with respect to particularly girl children, leads to vulnerability through reducing girls' ability to refuse sexual advances and generating expectations in men that they should control women and children. Rape is often an act of punishment, used to demonstrate power over girl children and manufacture control. Rape is also used as an instrument of communication with oneself (the rapist) about masculinity and powerfulness. This ability to avoid being caught was important in some rapes. Some children are rendered vulnerable by coming from backgrounds where the likelihood of cases being pursued was low. Whilst it is often said that communities abhor child rape, responses to cases show that often strong action is not taken against perpetrators and the girls may be equally, or predominantly, blamed. In cases close to home, perpetrators are often protected. Thus the dominant message is that much as child rape is abhorred, responses are highly inadequate. Advances in gender equity are central to positive change.

Child↗

PubMed1988

Blitz rape and confidence rape: a typology applied to 1,000 consecutive cases.

The case records of 1,000 consecutive rape victims seen at a crisis center were analyzed to identify important categories of rape victimization. The most noteworthy finding was a replication and extension of the blitz rape and confidence rape typology. The distinction between these two types of rape corresponded to a series of significant differences in the victims' characteristics, the rape settings, the victims' activities before they were raped, the assailants' characteristics, and the victims' immediate responses to the assaults. The authors discuss the implications of these differences with respect to specific strategies of outreach and treatment for victims of different types of rape.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1984

[Rape by 2 assaillants and gang rape in Montreal].

A survey was conducted in 230 cases of rape and rape attempts heard in the Judicial District of Montreal between January 1975 and May 1978. Data were compiled from the 30 assaults including two or more assaillants. Results show that in cases of rape committed by two men the aggressors are older than gang rapists, meet the victim mainly in her flat or in a bar, and rape her in her own home, in a car or a hotel. In these cases, voyeurism seems to be an important factor since, most of the time, rape is committed by only one of the two aggressors. On the other hand, gang rapists are younger, meet the victim in public places, on the street or when she is hitch-hiking and attack her in one of the aggressors' house, in public places or on the street. Exhibitionism seems more present in this group of rapists. For both groups the victims are mainly single, younger than the aggressors and have diverse occupations. Finally, regarding the legal outcome half of the subjects were liberated or acquitted in both groups. Rape committed by two men had never been studied or compared with gang rape up until now. Results of this survey show dynamic and demographic differences between these two groups of sexual delinquents.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Psycho-social variables of female rapees not reporting and reporting the first incidence of rape.

Rape statistics are difficult to assess due to differential definitions of the crime, the ratio of arrests resulting from reported complaints, and the extent of the numbers of unreported rapes, especially those regarding the first incidence of the crime. The present research was conducted to determine: 1. specific psycho-social variables associated with female rapees not reporting and reporting the first incidence of rape, and 2. a comparison of the similarities and/or differences of each, as well as 3. their influences on the women leading them to develop not reporting and reporting positions. Results suggested sixteen different variables important to female rapees not reporting and reporting the first incidence of rape. There were significant differences regarding which of these tended to be associated with either the women not reporting or reporting the rape act.

Attitude↗

PubMed1979

Effects of rape victim resistance, assault outcome, and sex of observer on attributions about rape.

Perceptions of sexual assault were investigated as a function of sex of observer, nature of victim resistance, and assault outcome. Two hundred twenty-nine subjects were randomly assigned by sex to six resistance x outcome conditions. Hypotheses that women and men apply sex-role stereotypes in evaluating the rape situation were supported: (a) subjects were more certain that rape had occurred as the victim resisted more; (b) subjects attributed greater responsibility to the victim for completed that for attempted rape, while the reverse pattern was found for the assailant; (c) women attributed more responsibility to the assailant than did men; and (d) men attributed less fault and more intelligence, and women attributed more fault and less intelligence to the rape victim as she resisted more forcefully. Attributional terms; fault, blame, and responsibility were found not to be interchangeable. Rape attributions are discussed within the contexts of identification with victim's situation and perceptions of victim's control. Implications for choice of self-defense strategy and treatment of rape victims are also considered.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Rape victims--assaults, injuries and treatment at a medical rape trauma service at Oslo Emergency Hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To describe assaults, injuries, and treatment in the 168 patients who attended the medical rape trauma service in 1987. To give an impression of the medico-legal documentation that is required. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: A rape trauma service (RTS) established at the Emergency Hospital in Oslo. The service is free, open around the clock, and independent of police notification. RTS has standardized the medico-legal report used for rape victims. PARTICIPANTS: All patients attending RTS from 1 January to 31 December. RESULTS: Eighty-two (49%) patients reported the incident to the police. Two-thirds of the patients were assaulted by strangers, one-fifth by two or more assailants, and 16 were subjected to attempted rape. Weapons were used in 50 of the assaults. Eighty-one patients had physical injuries requiring documentation but no special treatment. Fourteen patients were infected with sexually transmitted diseases, three patients became pregnant. Seventy-eight patients returned for a medical follow-up. As many as 128 patients (76%) needed care from all parts of the emergency medical and psycho-social services. CONCLUSION: RTS shows that primary health service can be responsible for the treatment of rape victims and for the medico-legal documentation of rape trauma.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1975

[Isothiocyanate and vinyl thio-oxazolidone contents of rape seeds and rape seed oil].

Comparative studies on the isothiocyanate content of rape-seeds and rape-seed oil show that, apart from nearly 300 mg/100 g of vinyl thio-oxazolidone, rape-seeds contain almost 200--300 mg/100 g of isothiocyanates of which 3-butenyl isothiocyanate and 4-pentenyl isothiocyanate (ratio of 4:1) are the main components as evidenced thin-layer and gaschromatographically. Only about 1 mg/100 g of isothiocyanates are found in pressed rape-seed oil; and but circa 10 mg/100 g, in extracted rape-seed oil. 3-Butenyl isothiocyanate and 4-pentenyl isothiocyanate (ratio of 4:1) are once more the main components. Thioglycerides are not detected in the oil. Vinyl thio-oxazolidone is found only in extracted rape-seed oil (about 2 mg/100 g).

Chromatography, Gas↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Prevention of post-rape psychopathology: preliminary findings of a controlled acute rape treatment study.

Violent sexual assault such as rape typically results in extremely high levels of acute distress. The intensity of these acute psychological reactions may play a role in later recovery, with higher levels of immediate distress associated with poorer outcome. Unfortunately, post-rape forensic evidence collection procedures may serve to increase, rather than reduce initial distress, potentially exacerbating future psychopathology. To address these concerns, an acute time-frame hospital-based video intervention was developed to: (a) minimize anxiety during forensic rape exams, and (b) prevent post-rape posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic, and anxiety. Preliminary data indicated that (1) psychological distress at the time of the exam was strongly related to PTSD symptomatology 6 weeks post-rape, and (2) the video intervention successfully reduced distress during forensic exams.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

Developmental Profile of Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase in Maturing Seeds of Oilseed Rape and Safflower and Microspore-Derived Cultures of Oilseed Rape.

Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.20) activity was assayed during the maturation of seeds of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) and safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.). Developmental studies were also conducted with microspore-derived embryos of oilseed rape (B. napus L. cv Topas) and an embryogenic microspore-derived cell-suspension culture of winter oilseed rape (B. napus L. cv Jet Neuf). In the maturing seeds, diacylglycerol acyltransferase activity increased to a maximum during rapid accumulation of lipid and declined, thereafter, with seed maturity. In microspore-derived embryos of oilseed rape (cv Topas), high levels of diacylglycerol acyltransferase activity were found throughout the early torpedo to late cotyledonary developmental stages with maximum enzyme specific activity associated with the mid-cotyledonary developmental stage. The cell-suspension culture of winter oilseed rape (cv Jet Neuf) contained 3 to 4% triacylglycerol on a dry weight basis and represented about half of the total lipid. The fatty acid profile of total lipid and triacylglycerol in the cell-suspension culture was similar in samples taken during a 1-year period. The Jet Neuf culture contained diacylglycerol acyltransferase with specific activity similar to that of Topas microspore-derived embryos. Jet Neuf diacylglycerol acyltransferase also displayed an enhanced specificity for erucoyl-CoA over oleoyl-CoA when assayed with 14 [mu]M acyl-coenzyme A in the reaction mixture. The specific activity of diacylglycerol acyltransferase in homogenates prepared from the Jet Neuf culture ranged from 5 to 15 pmol of triacylglycerol min-1 mg-1 of protein when assayed at intervals during a period of 1 year. Thus, the cell-suspension culture may represent an attractive tissue source for purification and characterization of triacyl-glycerol biosynthetic enzymes.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1995

Are rape memories different? A comparison of rape, other unpleasant, and pleasant memories among employed women.

The study examined empirically-measured memory characteristics, compared pleasant and unpleasant intense memories as well as rape and other unpleasant memories, and determined whether rape memories exhibited significantly more "flashbulb" characteristics. Data consisted of responses to a mailed survey of women employees of a medical center (N = 1,037) and a university (N = 2,142). Pleasant and unpleasant memories were differentiated by feelings, consequences, and level of unexpectedness. The most powerful discriminator of rape from other unpleasant memories was the degree to which they were less clear and vivid, contained a less meaningful order, were less well-remembered, and were less thought and talked about. Few "flashbulb" characteristics discriminated among memory types. Implications for clinical work with rape survivors were discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1985

Long-term psychological effects of rape in 35 rape victims.

Thirty-five rape victims who had been assaulted from 2 to 46 years earlier were interviewed to determine the long-term effects of sexual assault. Victims were compared to 110 nonabused matched control subjects on their scores on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the modified Fear Survey Interview. An analysis was also conducted to determine which of the factors characterizing the rape situation had an influence on the victims' scores. Rape victims were found to be significantly more depressed, generally anxious, and fearful than control subjects. Only one rape situation variable, the survivor having been a prior victim of sexual assault, was found to be related to a higher degree of depression and anxiety.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2002

Avoiding rape: the effects of protective actions and situational factors on rape outcome.

While protective actions are consistently found to be important in rape avoidance, research is less clear on what forms of protective action are most effective. There is also little research on whether the effectiveness of particular protective actions varies depending upon the context of the assault. This study employs multivariate logistic regression to examine the situational effectiveness of physical, forceful verbal, and non-forceful verbal protective strategies using data from the National Crime Victimization Survey. It is predicted that failure to use physical and forceful verbal strategies will result in increased risk of rape as situational danger increases, while non-forceful verbal resistance will become less effective in more dangerous situations. Contrary to predictions, results indicate that the effectiveness of protective actions does not vary across most situations. Instead, among women who perform self-protective actions physical resistance is generally predictive of rape avoidance, forceful verbal resistance is ineffective, and non-forceful verbal resistance is predictive of rape completion.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Perceptions of stranger and acquaintance rape: the role of benevolent and hostile sexism in victim blame and rape proclivity.

In Studies 1 and 2, after reading an acquaintance-rape but not a stranger-rape scenario, higher benevolent sexist but not hostile sexist participants blamed the victim significantly more. In Study 2, higher hostile sexist but not benevolent sexist male participants showed significantly greater proclivity to commit acquaintance (but not stranger) rape. Studies 3 and 4 supported the hypothesis that the effects of benevolent sexism and hostile sexism are mediated by different perceptions of the victim, as behaving inappropriately and as really wanting sex with the rapist. These findings show that benevolent sexism and hostile sexism underpin different assumptions about women that generate sexist reactions toward rape victims.

Adult↗

PubMed1989

Research note: parallel reactions in rape victims and rape researchers.

In a recent study, several nurse researchers assisted in a case record review on 1,215 rape crisis center records to determine demographic predicators of sexual abuse. Despite the relatively impersonal nature of the method used in collection of data, researchers experienced highly subjective responses to the often sketchy case records both during and after the study. Some of the reactions reported by data collectors included: anger, dreams, fear of physical injury, and sleep disorders. These responses closely parallel those reported in the literature on rape victims. This research note (1) describes the reactions of the five different data collectors, (2) compares these reactions to those reported for rape victims, (3) suggests some implications for those engaged in research on potentially distressing topics, and (4) offers suggestions on how to best prepare data collectors and others for research in emotionally charged areas.

Crisis Intervention↗