Medical Students' Attitudes About Female Rape Victims

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The goal of the present investigation was to examine the extent to which assault and participant characteristics influence medical students' attitudes toward rape and nonsexual assault victims. First-and third-year medical students read narratives of three types of patients-a stereotypical rape victim, a victim of a robbery, and a nonstereotypical rape victim-and responded to an attitude questionnaire in reference to the victims in the narratives. The results of a series of ANOVAs showed that females had more favorable attitudes toward victims than males did and that medical students had more victim-blaming attitudes about a nonstereotypical rape victim than about either a stereotypical rape victim or a nonsexual assault victim. The implications of these findings are discussed with respect to service delivery for rape victims and medical school curricula.