Appendix 5
Victim Impact
ACQUAINTANCE RAPE:
THE VICTIM
Gail Abarbanel Director
Rape Treatment Center
Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center
Issues in Acquaintance Rapes
• Not common perception of rape
• Not “ real rape”
• Context/social situation
• Relationship
• Attributions of blame
• Assignment of responsibility
Acquaintance Rape: Questions About the Victim
• Lifestyle
• Behavior
• Judgment
• Motivation
Victim/Offender Relationship
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics
• 82% acquaintances
• 18% strangers
Number of Rapes Reported
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report
• Once every 5 minutes
• 12 cases/hour
• 100,000 cases/year
Number of Rapes Committed
Source: Rape In America
• More than once every minute
• 78 cases/hour
• 683,000 cases/year
Age of Victims
Source: Rape In America
• 29% < 11 years old
• 32% 11-17 years old
• 23% 18-24 years old
• 7 % 25-29 years old
• 6% > 29 years old
• 3% unknown
Male Victims
• 5% of reported rapes
• Underreported
physical violence acquaintance rapes
In the Rape in America study, only 16% of the
victims reported their rapes
to the police.
Reporting Patterns
• Stranger rape reporting
• Acquaintance rape reporting
Reasons for Late/No Reporting
• Fear of retaliation
• Being blamed/disbelieved
• Loss of privacy
• Distrust of legal system
• Shame and embarrassment
• Not defining experience as rape
• Denial and suppression of feelings
• Psychogenic or drug-induced amnesia
Common Victim Behaviors
• Non-resistance
• Passive behavior
• Failure to attempt to escape
• Friendly behavior towards assailant
• Delayed reporting
• Calm, non-emotional appearance
• Gaps in memory
Differences Between Stranger and Acquaintance Rape
• Stranger Rape
“ Blitz Attack”
• Acquaintance Rape
“ Confidence Rape”
Types of Coercion
• Weapons
• Threats to harm victim
• Threats to harm significant others
• Restraints
• Physical Violence
• Incapacitating drugs
Acquaintance Rape:
Gaining Access to the Victim
• Offers assistance to victim
• Requests victim’ s help
• Invites social relationship
• Promises possibility of
employment/career opportunity
• Requests company while completing a task
Strategies for Self-Defense
• Cognitive assessment
• Verbal tactics
• Screaming
• Attempting to escape
• Stalling for time
• Physical resistance
Victim Responses During a Rape
• Non-resistance
• Frozen fright
• Dissociation
Dissociation During a Traumatic Event
• Altered time sense
• Feelings of unreality that event is occurring
• Derealization (altered perception of external world)
• Depersonalization (altered sense of self)
• Out-of-body experience
• Confusion, disorientation
• Feeling disconnected from one’ s body
Impact of Sexual Assault on the Victim
• Rape Trauma
• Sexual Trauma
• Acute Stress Disorder
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Post-Assault Behaviors
• Responses contrary to expectations
• Oscillation
Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)
Development of anxiety, dissociative, and other symptoms within one month after exposure to an extreme traumatic stressor
ASD Criteria: Witness/Experience Traumatic Event in House
Response includes:
• Fear
• Helplessness
• Horror
ASD Symptoms
• Dissociative
• Reexperiencing
• Avoidance and numbing
• Anxiety/increased arousal
ASD: Dissociative Symptoms
During or after the trauma:
• Numbness
• Detachment
• Absence of emotional responsiveness
• Reduced awareness of surroundings
• Derealization
• Depersonalization
• Dissociative amnesia
ASD: Reexperiencing Symptoms
Persistent reexperiencing of the trauma:
• Images
• Thoughts
• Dreams
• Flashbacks
• Sense of reliving the trauma
• Distress when exposed to reminders of trauma
ASD: Avoidance Symptoms
Avoidance of stimuli that arouse recollections of the trauma:
• Thoughts
• Feelings
• Conversations
• Activities
• Places
• People
ASD: Anxiety Symptoms
Marked symptoms of anxiety or increased arousal:
• Difficulty Sleeping
• Irritability
• Problems with concentration
• Hypervigilance
• Startle response
• Motor restlessness
ASD: TIMING OF SYMPTOMS
• Onset: within 4 weeks of trauma
• Duration: 2 days to 4 weeks
• Persistence: may indicate PTSD
ASD: Diagnosis
Symptoms cause:
• Significant distress
• Functional impairment
• Impairment in ability to pursue necessary tasks
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Criteria
Exposure to traumatic event which involves:
• Actual or threatened death or serious injury
• Threat to victim’ s physical integrity or safety of a significant other
PTSD Criteria: Exposure/Response
Response to traumatic event involves intense:
• Fear
• Helplessness
• Horror
PTSD Symptoms
• Intrusive re-experiencing
• Avoidance
• Arousal
PTSD Criteria: Diagnosis
• Duration of symptoms > one month
• Significant distress
• Functional impairment
PTSD Criteria: Reexperiencing
Persistent reexperiencing of the trauma:
• Recurrent thoughts
• Distressing dreams
• Acting or feeling as if trauma re-occurring
• Extreme distress when exposed to things that resemble or symbolize the trauma.
PTSD Criteria: Avoidance and Numbing
• Avoidance of people/situations associated with trauma AND
• Numbing or reduced responsiveness:
- Diminished interest or participation in significant activities;
- Inability to recall important aspect of the trauma;
- Feeling detached or estranged from others;
- Restricted range of affect; and or - Sense of a foreshortened future.
PTSD Criteria: Increased Arousal
• Sleep disturbances
• Irritability
• Difficulty with concentration
• Hypervigilance
• Exaggerated startle response
Other Symptoms of Rape Trauma
• Self-blame
• Guilt
• Shame
• Depressed mood
• Sexual dysfunction
• Somatic complaints
• Loss or self-confidence and self-esteem
• Changes in assumption about self, others, and world
Health Impact of Rape:
Immediate Aftermath
• Acute physical injuries
• Psychological trauma
• Risk of STDs
• Risk of unwanted pregnancy
Health Impact of Rape:
Psychological Sequelae
• ASD/PTSD
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Suicidality
• Substance use/abuse
• Sexual problems
Health Impact of Rape:
Physical Sequelae
• Utilization of medical services
• Poorer health perceptions
• Negative health behaviors
• Somatic symptoms
• Chronic medical conditions
Health Impact of Rape:
Physical Symptoms
• Somatic complaints
– Stomach aches/nausea – Headaches
– Back pain
• Chronic medical conditions
– GI symptoms – Pelvic pain
– Menstrual symptoms
Factors That May Affect Response to Trauma
• Cultural differences
• Life-stage and developmental issues
• Mental or physical disabilities
• Previous victimization experiences
• Response of service providers
• Social supports
Educating the Jury
• Resistance
• Reporting
• Affect and demeanor
• Recall of details
• Medical findings
The Prosecutor’ s Task
• Victim’ s lifestyle
• Victim’ s behavior
• Victim’ s judgment
• Societal beliefs
• Defendant’ s behaviors
Is It Consent?
• Going to certain locations
• Engaging in certain activities
• Giving sexual consent on one occasion
• Allowing man to pay for date
• Dressing in revealing clothing
Going to Court:
Common Victim Concerns
• Loss of privacy
• “ Being raped again”
• Confronting rapist
• Delays/continuances
• Unknown/unfamiliar
• High-profile cases
• Outcome/results
Interviewing Victims
• Goals of initial interview
• Setting/structure
• Principles/techniques
• Preparing victim for process
• Ongoing support
Goals of Initial Interview
• Establish rapport/relationship
• Gather reliable information
• Assess strengths/weaknesses of case
• Involve victim in process
• Prepare victim for process
Interview Setting/Structure
• Privacy
• No interruptions
• Non-verbal language
• Presence of support person(s)
• Time allocation
Interview Principles/Techniques
• Explain purpose
• Clarify victim’ s role
• Encourage victim to tell you everything
• Ask open-ended questions
• Elicit sensory/peripheral detail
• Acknowledge feelings
• Give realistic assessment of case
Interview Principles/Techniques (continued)
• Follow gut instincts
• Maintain eye contact
• Assess previous interview experiences
Prepare Victim for Process
• Explain legal process
• Specify roles and responsibilities
• Encourage questions
• Never promise specific outcomes
• Maintain contact with victim
• Assess support systems
• Encourage counseling/therapy
Supporting Victims Through the Process
• Give information
• Explain procedures
• Include in decisions
• Support coping and survival
• Empower by identifying areas where have control
