Prerape victim-rapist familiarity and recovery from rape: psychological consequences
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Citation
Abstract
The effects of prerape victim-rapist familiarity on the
victim's postrape recovery are investigated in conjunction
with the effects of time elapsed since rape. Questionnaire
and interview data from 87 women rape victims, ages 18-55 and
from 6 months to 13 years post-rape, were analyzed for differences
along the two dimensions of prerape familiarity and
amount of time elapsed since the rape.
Familiarity was measured in terms of relationship type
(Stranger/Nonstranger, and Stranger/Acquaintance/Friend/Intimate
categorizations), and in terms of two relationship components:
prerape trust and closeness. Outcome variables
assessed were: completeness of recovery, level of psychological
distress, positive content of self-concept, and selfblame
for the rape. Covariate effects controlled in the
analyses were socioeconomic status and prerape psychological
disturbance.
As was predicted, women raped by nonstrangers, women who
had trusted the rapist more, and women who had felt closer to
the rapist, proved to have significantly less positive selfconcepts
and to assign themselves significantly more selfblame
than those raped by strangers. The expected inverse
relationship between familiarity and recovery was not observed.
Time since the rape was significantly associated
with levels of self-blame but not with the other three outcomes,
contrary to the expectation of significant main effects
on all four outcome variables. Women 1 1/2 to 3 years postrape
reported lower self-blame levels than women any other
length of time postrape. The predicted interactions of
familiarity and time were found for self-concept and recovery,
but not for self-blame. More familiarity was associated
with less positive self-concept and less complete recovery for
women less than 3 years postrape, and with more positive selfconcept
and more complete recovery for women more than 3 years
postrape.
Results are discussed as showing that familiarity is
indeed a critical factor in recovery from rape and that the
passage of time alone is not a good indicator of recovery
progress. A new theory of recovery from rape is presented.
Implications for research and clinical work with rape victims are discussed.