Incapacitated and/or Forcible Rape Experience Predicting College Women's Rape Victim Empathy

Rape experience is common and victim empathy may help address it (e.g., prevention, victim support). We examined rape victim empathy based on type of rape experience (none, incapacitated, forcible, combined). Undergraduate women (n = 658) completed the Rape Victim Empathy-During Subscale and Sexual...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Osman, Suzanne L. (Author) ; Gingerich, Tieryn R. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2025
In: Violence against women
Year: 2025, Volume: 31, Issue: 6/7, Pages: 1712-1724
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Keywords:
Empathy
Rape
forcible
incapacitated
Description
Summary:Rape experience is common and victim empathy may help address it (e.g., prevention, victim support). We examined rape victim empathy based on type of rape experience (none, incapacitated, forcible, combined). Undergraduate women (n = 658) completed the Rape Victim Empathy-During Subscale and Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization. Rape experience was associated with greater empathy, especially for those with any forcible experience. Perhaps due to weaker memory of their own rape event, incapacitated victims may be relatively less able than forcible victims to understand another victim's perspective during a rape. Researchers should consider examining incapacitated and forcible rape as distinct experiences.
ISSN:1552-8448
DOI:10.1177/10778012241234897