Rape
What sexual scientists know about rape.
Charlene L. Muehlenhard
Department of Psychology
University of Kansas
Rape
What is rape?
• Rape or sexual assault involves forced or
nonconsensual sexual acts.
• Legal definitions vary across jurisdictions.
• Range of behaviors from unwanted sexual touching to
oral or anal sex to vaginal penetration with the penis or
another object.
Rape
Who is Covered?
• Most jurisdictions cover both men (sodomy) and
women (vaginal penetration).
• Currently, marital rape is a crime in many countries.
Rape
What is Force or Lack of Consent?
• Physical force.
• Threat of physical force, but not other types of threats
(i.e., divorce).
• Incapacitation due to intoxication, mental illness,
physical or intellectual disabilities.
Rape
How Prevalent is Rape in the U.S.?
•
•
•
•
•
12% adolescent girls.
20% adult women.
15% of college women.
Most victims are women; most perpetrators are men.
Most perpetrators are acquaintances of the victim.
Rape
Social Foundations of Rape
• Rape is more common in cultures characterized by
male dominance and violence.
• Within a culture, persons with more traditional or sexist
gender role attitudes are more tolerant of rape than are
people with more nontraditional or egalitarian attitudes.
Rape
Social Foundations of Rape
• Traditional men are more likely to report that they
would commit rape if they knew they would not be
caught.
• Traditional men are more likely to commit rape.
• “A husband is entitled to have sex with his wife.”
• “A woman who ‘leads a man on’ deserves what she
gets.”
Rape
Consequences of Rape
• Vary across persons.
• Most severe during the first week, diminish during the
next two to three months, and then plateau.
• Victims do not “recover” from rape.
• Fear, anxiety, phobias, panic disorder, depression,
suicidal thoughts and attempts, anger, lower selfesteem, feelings of guilt, fatigue, problems with trust
and social adjustment.
Rape
Consequences of Rape
• The consequences of acquaintance rape are as
serious as those of stranger rape.
• Rape by a friend, partner, or spouse involves a
violation of trust.
• Rape by a friend, partner, or spouse is likely to occur
repeatedly; often accompanied by battering.
Rape
Consequences of Rape
• The consequences for men are similar to those for
women.
• Men can be raped by women.
• Men are not believed, ridiculed.
Rape
Preventing Rape
• “Don’t do this or that………..”
• Active defensive strategies are more effective than
passive ones, but also can lead to greater battering.
• Must address the foundation of the problem.
1. Gender role socialization.
2. Bullying.
3. Power and Control.
The Rape Exam
The Rape Exam Can Be a Traumatic Experience
• A victim’s immediate concern is their health and safety.
• The very first thing to do is get medical attention.
• If a woman wants to successfully prosecute the rapist, she
most likely will need a rape exam.
• The rape exam can also screen for HIV infection and
sexually transmitted diseases and uncover hidden injuries.
The Rape Exam
• To collect medical evidence for the police, medical
personnel use a "Sexual Assault Kit" (often referred to as a
"rape kit"). Evidence is collected and a pelvic exam is
done. The steps involved in evidence collection are:
• The nurse explains the hospital's HIV testing procedure
and why HIV testing is beneficial. The victim then decides
whether to permit HIV testing. In many states, there is no
charge to the victim for these services.
The Rape Exam
• Routine blood collection is done (to check for pregnancy or
sexually transmitted diseases).
• The nurse documents any evidence of torn clothing or
external injuries and takes photographs.
• The victim's clothing is collected and new clothes are
provided.
• Any physical evidence from the rape scene (such as grass
or leaves) is also collected.
The Rape Exam
• Hairs are collected: the nurse collects any loose hairs or
debris in the pelvic area (looking for pubic hairs of the
assailant). In some cases, some of the victim's pubic hairs
are needed and 15-20 of the victim's head hairs (to
differentiate the victim's hairs from the assailant's).
• Fingernail scrapings are collected for detection of blood or
tissue.
• The nurse then examines the victim for evidence of semen
and, if detected, it is collected.
The Rape Exam
• Several slides are made and swabs taken from the
vaginal, anal, and oral areas to check for semen, sexually
transmitted diseases, and infections.
• The hospital provides the victim with any preventive
medicine necessary (for tetanus, sexually transmitted
diseases, pregnancy, etc.).
• Medical personnel perform the pelvic exam. The victim
may request to have the examination done by a female.
Unfortunately, this request cannot always be granted.
The Rape Exam
• The sexual assault kit is locked in a box at the hospital
until given to the police for further laboratory analysis.
• The nurse will discuss with the victim what follow-up tests
need to be done.
• The assault counselor provides the victim with hotline
numbers and appointments.
• The victim should also receive an application for the
victim's assistance program.
• Victims receive a follow-up phone call within 72 hours after
the exam from an Emergency department nurse.