Is Reporting of Rape on the Rise? A Comparison of Women With Reported Versus Unreported Rape Experiences in the National Women’s Study-Replication

Abstract

Rape affects one in seven women nationwide. Historically, most rape victims do not report rape to law enforcement. Research is needed to identify barriers to reporting and correlates of reporting to guide policy recommendations that address such barriers. We investigated the prevalence of reporting rape among a national sample of women (N = 3,001) interviewed in 2006. The study also examined predictors of reporting as well as barriers to reporting, concerns about reporting, and women's experiences with the reporting process. Results demonstrated that the overall prevalence of reporting (15.8%) has not significantly increased since the 1990s. Differences were found between rape types, with rapes involving drug or alcohol incapacitation or facilitation being less likely to be reported than forcible rapes. Several predictors of reporting emerged in multivariable analyses. Implications for public health and public policy are discussed.

Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and hopelessness in women who are victims of sexual violence

“…Therefore, the present results refer to women from the less privileged socioeconomic classes. (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39), and absent (b20). c Fisher's exact test: significance level, P b 0.05.…”

“…It is estimated that fewer than 20% of cases of sexual violence are reported to the authorities [23,24]. Although urban sexual violence is more often reported and institutional support sought, the percentage of women who attend emergency services is still small.…”

“…More restrictive criteria (frequency of symptoms N1 and intensity ≥2) were used to score PTSD [17]. The total score was used to classify PTSD as: very severe (N80), severe (60-79), moderate (40-59), mild (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39) or absent (b20).…”

Here we go round the review-go-round: Rape investigation and prosecution—are things getting worse not better?

“…This concurs roughly with a New Zealand estimate suggesting that only 9% of sexual offences are brought to the attention of police (Mayhew & Reilly, 2007). Moreover, a recent national US study concluded that there has been no significant increase in rape reporting since the 1990s (Wolitzky- Taylor et al, 2011) and that the barriers to reporting remain similar to those faced in the 1990s. This study also found that rapes perpetrated by strangers are still more likely to be reported than those committed by an intimate partner, as are rapes involving weapon use and/or resulting in additional visible injury, while victims are more likely not to report if the rape occurred in contexts where they were using drugs or alcohol.…”

Reporting violence to the police: Predictors through the life course

“…A healthy literature has sought to identify the barriers to reporting victimization and how these obstacles can be addressed through public policy (Wolitzky-Taylor et al, 2011). A central method studies have used to understand underreporting involves asking victims of crime why they did not report the incident.…”