Intimate Partner Sexual Assault Against Women: Examining the Impact and Recommendations for Clinical Practice

Kelly, Theresa C.; Stermac, Lana

doi:10.1891/1946-6560.3.1.107

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 42 publications

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“…For clients who do report experiences of IPR or sexual assault, psychoeducation may be helpful in combating preconceived notions of rape or societal rape scripts. Such psychoeducation, especially when provided in a group setting, may convey that victims are not alone and not to blame (Kelly & Stermac, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing Sexual Violence in Intimate Relationships: An Examination of Blame Attributions and Rape Acknowledgment

Jaffe

Steel

DiLillo

et al. 2017

J Interpers Violence

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Rape by an intimate partner frequently involves a precedence of sexual consent between victim and perpetrator, often does not include the use of physical force, and may not fit societal definitions of rape. Given these unique characteristics, women who are assaulted by an intimate partner may be less likely to acknowledge the experience as a rape. In turn, they might make fewer blame attributions toward themselves and their perpetrators than victims of rape by a nonpartner. Consistent with these expectations, results from 208 community women reporting rape in adulthood revealed the presence of indirect effects of perpetrator type (nonpartner vs. intimate partner) on both behavioral self-blame and perpetrator blame through rape acknowledgment, even when controlling for both victim substance use at the time of the assault and coercion severity. Compared with women who experienced a rape by a nonpartner, women who experienced rape in the context of a marital or dating relationship were less likely to blame themselves or the perpetrator for the assault, in part because they were less likely to label their experience as a rape. Overall, these findings highlight the unique nature of intimate partner rape and provide further information about the relatively underresearched area of sexual violence in intimate relationships.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%