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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

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

[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

Factors affecting reactions to a rape victim.

We examined the influence of the sex of the subject reacting to the rape victim, the type of rape (stranger vs. acquaintance), the location of the rape (inside vs. outside the victim's home), and the victim's attribution concerning the cause of the rape, on undergraduates' reactions to a rape victim. American undergraduates (264 women, 230 men) read a Rape Crisis Center Intake Form, watched a videotape of a rape victim (an actress) describing her psychological and behavioral reactions to the rape, and completed three questionnaires assessing their reactions to the victim. Women were more supportive of the rape victim than were men, and the stranger rape evoked more chance and characterological attributions than did the acquaintance rape. A rape outside the home evoked more chance attributions than did an "inside" rape. The rape victim was rated as having been more traumatized by the experience if she made any causal attribution than if she made no attribution at all.

Adolescent

Pornography and rape: theory and practice? Evidence from crime data in four countries where pornography is easily available.

We have looked at the empirical evidence of the well-known feminist dictum: "pornography is the theory--rape is the practice" (Morgan, 1980). While earlier research, notably that generated by the U.S. Commission on Obscenity and Pornography (1970) had found no evidence of a causal link between pornography and rape, a new generation of behavioral scientists have, for more than a decade, made considerable effort to prove such a connection, especially as far as "aggressive pornography" is concerned. The first part of the article examines and discusses the findings of this new research. A number of laboratory experiments have been conducted, much akin to the types of experiments developed by researchers of the effects of nonsexual media violence. As in the latter, a certain degree of increased "aggressiveness" has been found under certain circumstances, but to extrapolate from such laboratory effects to the commission of rape in real life is dubious. Studies of rapists' and nonrapists' immediate sexual reactions to presentations of pornography showed generally greater arousal to non-violent scenes, and no difference can be found in this regard between convicted rapists, nonsexual criminals and noncriminal males. In the second part of the paper an attempt was made to study the necessary precondition for a substantial causal relationship between the availability of pornography, including aggressive pornography, and rape--namely, that obviously increased availability of such material was followed by an increase in cases of reported rape. The development of rape and attempted rape during the period 1964-1984 was studied in four countries: the U.S.A., Denmark, Sweden and West Germany. In all four countries there is clear and undisputed evidence that during this period the availability of various forms of pictorial pornography including violent/dominant varieties (in the form of picture magazines, and films/videos used at home or shown in arcades or cinemas) has developed from extreme scarcity to relative abundance. If (violent) pornography causes rape, this exceptional development in the availability of (violent) pornography should definitely somehow influence the rape statistics. Since, however, the rape figures could not simply be expected to remain steady during the period in question (when it is well known that most other crimes increased considerably), the development of rape rates was compared with that of non-sexual violent offences and nonviolent sexual offences (in so far as available statistics permitted). The results showed that in none of the countries did rape increase more than nonsexual violent crimes. This finding in itself would seem sufficient to discard the hypothesis that pornography causes rape.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Cross-Cultural Comparison

Rape--a comparison of stranger and acquaintance assaults.

One of the variables that influences victim trauma in rape attacks is the relationship between assailant and victim (Ellis, 1981). Rapes by strangers have been shown to involve more violence and trauma (Katz and Mazur, 1979). Rapes by acquaintances may involve a betrayal of trust. The study compares 21 rape attacks where the assailant was known to the victim with 30 attacks where the assailant was a stranger. Three main elements of each assault are described: the contextual nature of the rape encounter, the assault characteristics (force, injuries, nature of sexual activity) and the post-rape behaviour. Significant differences were found between the two groups in each of these respects. Contact between rapist and victim took place in a social setting immediately prior to the assault in significantly more of the acquaintance rapes. Significantly more of the stranger rapes involved the display of a weapon. Coercive reciprocation of sexual activity occurred in proportionately more of stranger rapes. The role of verbal aggression was more prominent in acquaintance rapes. Significantly more of the acquaintance rapists (95% as opposed to 17%) interacted with the victim after the overtly sexual part of the attack. Two types of behaviour were displayed in almost equal proportions. Conciliatory/non-threatening behaviour consistent with a distorted affirmation of a person-orientated relationship with the victim was displayed by 43% of these assailants; 48% displayed threatening behaviour. We believe that stranger and acquaintance rapes can be clearly differentiated in terms of the behavioural dimensions of the assault. An understanding of such differences has implications for professionals involved in the assessment and treatment of sexual offenders and their victims.

Adolescent

Rape pollen allergy.

Rape plants are cultivated in southern and central Sweden. These partly wind pollinated plants have an exceedingly rich blooming period with pollinating times (for rape and turnip rape) from 10 May to 24 June (+/- 1--2 weeks). In a patient material from southern Sweden with bronchial asthma and other allergic manifestations, rape pollen allergy was found to occur quite frequently. In 366 consecutive patients positive intracutaneous skin tests to rape pollen extracts were found in 85 patients (23%). 54 patients with positive i.c. skin tests for rape pollen were provocated: 81% of them had positive provocation tests. Patients with symptoms of hay fever and/or bronchial asthma during the pollinating season in regions where rape and related species are cultivated should be examined for rape pollen allergy with i.c. skin tests or RAST.

Adolescent

Attitudes of African American adults toward treatment in cases of rape.

The attitudes of 155 African American adults toward the need for treatment in cases of rape were assessed. The relationship of these attitudes to sex, age, income, educational level, knowledge of the effects of rape, the influence of rape circumstances on attitudes, and expectations regarding interactions with treatment facilities and agencies were assessed. The results indicated that the ability to recognize rape in a variety of situations, perception of victim responsibility for the rape, and a knowledge of the short term reactions associated with rape had the greatest impact on respondents' attitudes toward seeking treatment. Participants generally endorsed the need for counselling following a rape and expressed positive attitudes regarding treatment outcomes.

Black or African American

Assault characteristics and posttraumatic stress disorder in rape victims.

A diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) encompasses several of the symptoms associated with the response to rape. The object of this study was to determine the incidence of PTSD among 51 rape victims and to compare the groups with and without PTSD with respect to the characteristics of the assaults. The results showed that 70% of the victims had PTSD and further suggested that PTSD was likely to be a long-term problem for these women. The results supported the view that psychological treatment approaches to rape victims should take into account the posttraumatic nature of the response. The incidence of rapes by strangers, of physical force being used, of weapons being displayed and of injuries being sustained by the victim were all higher in the group of women who had PTSD. These are all features that can be readily identified in the initial assessment of the rape victim and may help to identify the victims at risk of developing long-term psychological sequelae after rape. Appropriate therapeutic action taken early may influence the prognosis for a significant proportion of rape victims.

Adaptation, Psychological

Construct validity of two heterosocial perception skill measures for assessing rape proclivity.

Rape-supportive attitudes and self-reported rape proclivity (using a measure by Malamuth, Haber, & Feshbach, 1980) were negatively correlated with decoding accuracy of women's negative cues (measured by the TRAC-D; McDonel, McFall, Schlundt, & Levenson, 1985) in an unselected sample of male college students. Better decoders of negative female cues on the TRAC-D, as well as subjects expressing fewer rape-supportive beliefs and less rape proclivity, were more conservative in their estimates of a man's justification in continuing to make sexual advances in the face of a woman's negative cues on the Heterosocial Perception Survey (HPS; McDonel, 1986). Ability to decode men's interpersonal cues was not correlated with responses on the HPS or rape attitude and proclivity measures, suggesting that specific rather than global decoding deficits were useful predictors of rape correlates. These results support the construct validity of the two social perception measures, the TRAC-D, and the HPS, as measures of rape proclivity.

Adult

Patterns of rape and approaches to care.

The family physician is likely to be involved in the care of the rape victim. This paper focuses on the social and legal definitions of rape as well as the incidence of rape. The Rape Trauma Syndrome is explained and normative responses of victims are discussed. Eight common myths about rape are identified which the victim and the physician may share. In discussing the myths, guidelines for counseling the rape victim are delineated: encourage the victim to talk about her feelings; as the physician, remain nonjudgmental; provide information or resources to the victim; view the aftermath of rape as a response to a life-threatening event; and enlist the support of the victim's significant others. Finally, the importance of understanding the available community resources is stressed.

Counseling

An unusual case of pseudo rape.

A case has been reported which adds a new and unusual dimension to false rape allegation and gives a heretofore unknown motive for a woman to claim a bogus rape. A female newspaper reporter entered a hospital, stated falsely that she had been sexually assaulted, allowed herself to be interviewed and then examined by the author, and accepted and took medication, all because she wanted to "find out how a rape victim is treated at the new Rape Center and I was pretending to be a rape victim." Rape center workers must be alert to spurious claims of unprincipled and deceitful women.

Female

Rape and homosexuality.

The relationship between rape and homosexuality can be best understood by studying male rape. Offender(s) may deny homosexuality and confuse an aggressive active behaviour with a masculine (even macho) behaviour. They may project their homosexual feelings onto the victim. In the aftermath of rape, the victim may be ashamed of having lost control and may question himself about his real sexual identity. An aspect of female or male rape by a group of males may be an attempt to annihilate latent homosexual tendencies existing between members of this group. Surprisingly, in the short term, post traumatic disorder related to rape and pre-existing psychiatric disorder may develop separately, without substantial interaction. In the famous case of Schreiber described by Freud, homosexuality is assumed to play an important role in the development of paranoid schizophrenia. Cases in which schizophrenic patients (of both sexes) imagine being raped by a member of the opposite sex, may possibly challenge this opinion.

Female

The effect of dietary rape-seed oil on cholesterol-ester metabolism and cholesterol-ester-hydrolase activity in the rat adrenal.

The effects of stock diet and stock diet supplemented by olive oil and rape seed on rat adrenal cholesterol ester metabolism have been studied. Rats fed rape seed oil failed to gain weight at the same rate as rats fed olive oil. A prominent feature of the rats fed rape seed oil was an accumulation of high concentrations of cholesterol erucate in the adrenal lipid droplets. When these rats were subjected to an ether stress no percentage decrease in the amount of cholesterol erucate was observed. Adrenal cholesterol ester hydrolase activity was higher in rats fed the olive oil and rape seed oil diets than rats fed the stock diet. In rats fed stock or olive oil diets, a ten-minute ether anaesthesia stress resulted in a two-fold increase in activity of adrenal cholesterol ester hydrolase. Cofactor addition of ATP, cyclic AMP and MgCl-2 in vitro resulted in a stimulation of cholesterol ester hydrolase to a similar activity in both quiescent and ether-stressed rats. By contrast rats fed the rape seed oil diet gave no significant stimulation of cholesterol ester hydrolase activity when given an ether stress or when cofactors were added in vitro. Cholesterol erucate was hydrolysed at only 25% to 30% of the rate of cholesterol oleate in vitro in all groups of animals. Oleic acid added in vitro gave an inhibition of cholesterol ester hydrolase activity in rats fed stock diet while erucic acid activated the enzyme. The accumulation of cholesterol erucate in the adrenal when rats are fed rape seed oil could be due to the reduced ability of cholesterol ester hydrolase to hydrolyse this ester.

Adenosine Triphosphate