A Comprehensive Review of the Influences on Reporting of Sexual Assaults

Abstract

Psychology. Erin's primary research interests emphasize how culture and sexual orientation affect the mental health of disadvantaged youths.Guerda Nicolas is currently an assistant professor at Boston College in the Department of Counseling, Developmental, & Educational Psychology. She currently is conducting research on spirituality and religion in the lives of adolescents, effective interventions for ethnic minority adolescents, mental health treatment for depressed Haitian adolescents, and social support networks and overall health of ethnic minorities.

Who Are You to Me? Relational Distance to Victims and Perpetrators Affects Advising to Report Rape

“…As expected, both RMA and VB negatively predicted advice to report overall, as well as to the four agencies (H4). RMA and VB have been linked to each other (Klement et al, 2019), and these two together have been linked to the lower likelihood to report sexual assault (Solórzano, 2007; Suarez & Gadalla, 2010). This might be because those who accept rape myths attribute responsibility for the crime to the victim and have decreased negative feelings toward the perpetrator (Clarke & Stermac, 2011).…”

“…Rape perceptions and the tendency to blame victims strongly influence reporting advice (Solórzano, 2007). Rape perceptions are largely governed by the extent to which an individual accepts rape myths, which are prejudicial, stereotyped, or false beliefs about rape, rape victims, and perpetrators (Basow & Minieri, 2011).…”