Victim-perpetrator Relationship Research Articles

Perceptions of Blame and Credibility Toward Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Differences Across Victim Age, Victim-Perpetrator Relationship, and Respondent Gender in a Depicted Case

This study investigated victim culpability, credibility, and assault severity in a hypothetical sexual abuse case. A 2 (respondent gender) × 3 (victim age) × 3 (perpetrator type) between-subjects design was employed. Members (391) of the U.K. general public read the depiction of a female child assaulted by an adult male perpetrator. Respondents then completed an attributions questionnaire. Findings showed that male respondents were less positive toward victims and considered the victim less credible than female respondents. Younger victims (aged five years) were considered more credible than older children (aged 15 years). Victims of strangers were considered more positively and more credible than victims of someone known to them (their father or a family friend). Suggestions for future work are proposed.

Homicide deaths in sub-Saharan Africa: a review 1970-2004

Homicide is predicted to increase globally. The foundation for explanatory models of violence in low-income countries is rudimentary. The objective of this article is to describe peer-reviewed literature about homicide in sub-Saharan African (SSA) from 1970-2004. Searches in PubMed, OVID, and African Journals on-Line (AJOL) using the key words / phrases homicide', death, and identified 37 articles. Articles were excluded if it was impossible to distinguish homicide from suicide or unintentional injury death. Of the 37 articles, 30 contained information about homicide. According to the reviewed literature, throughout Africa, males are 4-10 times more likely to die of homicide than females. While children seem to be protected, adults (20-29 years) are at highest risk. The most common mechanism of homicide appears to be sharp instruments. The estimations depicting Africa as the world's second most violent continent were made from scanty data. Regional variations exist but the lack of data also makes it impossible to answer basic questions related to proportionate mortality, occupation of the deceased, ethnic or national variations, precipitating factors, or victim-perpetrator relationships. Temporal trends cannot be ascertained. In an attempt to bridge the gaps in existing knowledge about homicide, the World Health Organization (WHO) is coordinating and supporting efforts by countries to set up injury mortality surveillance systems, as a first step towards monitoring the incidence and prevalence of violence.

Female sexual abuse and criminal justice intervention: A comparison of child protective service and criminal justice samples

Objective The current study compared a sample of female perpetrators reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) to a sample of women from the criminal justice system. Instead of examining a clinical or criminal justice sample in isolation, this comparison allows a more accurate description of female sexual offending. Methods Cases were drawn from a Midwestern state's child abuse registry, law enforcement records, and sex offender registry. The CPS sample consisted of 179 women, and the criminal justice system sample consisted of 57 women. All cases were reported to the agencies between 1994 and 2004. Results Victims ranged in age from 1 to 18 years old ( M = 9.98, SD = 4.37). As hypothesized, there were statistically significant differences between the CPS and criminal justice samples. Specifically, the CPS sample had a majority of victims under age 12 (74.9%), while the criminal justice sample had a majority of victims between ages 13 and 19 (73.8%). The CPS sample had predominantly intrafamilial victims (97.8%), while the criminal justice sample had a majority of extrafamilial victims (63.3%). The CPS sample also showed significantly more female victims (63.7%), while the criminal justice sample had mostly male victims (62.1%). Conclusions There were significant differences in the victim's age, the victim's gender and the perpetrator-victim relationship between cases managed in the CPS and the criminal justice system. The results highlight the need for further research into child welfare and law enforcement collaboration.

Homicide Followed by Suicide

Homicide followed by suicide is an extremely rare event, requiring an integrated theoretical understanding that goes beyond explaining it as either homicide or suicide. Police reports, newspaper articles, and interviews with families, friends, and neighbors connected with 42 homicide–suicide cases that occurred in greater metropolitan New Orleans between 1989 and 2001 form the empirical base of this study. A homicide followed by suicide typology predicated on thematic context, including victim–perpetrator relationship, age, sex, race, ethnicity, and occupation in addition to precipitating factors, motivation, type of fatal injury, and location of event, is discussed. An integrated theoretical model using structural conflict intensity factors; elements of the social stress–strain perspective focusing on frustration, failure and anomie; and power dominance issues is presented. Although additional research is certainly called for, these sociological autopsies raise important methodological and theoretical questions for future exploration.

Rape Perception and the Function of Ambivalent Sexism and Gender-Role Traditionality

This study explores the roles of benevolent sexism (BS), hostile sexism (HS), and gender-role traditionality (GRT) in minimizing rape, blaming the victim, and excusing the rapist. As predicted, hostile sexists minimize the seriousness of the rape in both stranger and date-rape scenarios. In the victim-blame scale, both BS and GRT significantly moderate victim blame in a date but not stranger scenario. BS and GRT moderate the perpetrator-excuse measure in a date scenario but HS is the significant moderator in a stranger scenario. These results show that external observers make different assumptions about a rape incident based on their GRT, BS, and HS levels in different victim-perpetrator relationships.

Child abuse in the eyes of the beholder: Lay perceptions of child sexual and physical abuse

Objective The purpose was to explore the effects of victim and perpetrator gender, type of abuse, and victim-perpetrator relationship on university students’ and non-students’ perceptions of different kinds of child abuse. Method One hundred and ninety-nine participants (including university students and non-student adults) evaluated each of 24 vignettes (within-subjects design) describing an abusive interaction between a child and an adult. The following four variables were manipulated: the victim's gender, the perpetrator's gender, the type of abuse (physical, relatively mild sexual, or relatively severe sexual), and the perpetrator's relationship to the victim (parent or babysitter). Participants rated each vignette on a number of dimensions: degree of trauma and severity, likelihood of general occurrence and reoccurrence, victim believability, and “repressibility” of the event. Results Significant interactions emerged on each dimension. For example, sexual abuse (whether mild or severe) was rated as being more traumatic and severe if perpetrated by a parent, but relationship type did not affect perceptions of physical abuse. In addition, significant perpetrator gender by victim gender interactions indicated that homosexual abuse was perceived as more traumatic and repressible than heterosexual abuse, but as less likely to occur; and male participants tended to be more affected by the gender of the perpetrator and abuse type than female participants. Conclusion The results suggest that people have stereotypes about the circumstances and consequences of child abuse. These stereotypes are often, though not always, consistent with existing empirical findings.

Schema‐driven information processing in judgements about rape

AbstractTwo studies addressed the impact of rape schemata on judgements about rape cases. In Study 1, 286 undergraduate students rated perpetrator and victim blame for five rape scenarios and completed the Perceived Causes of Rape Scale. Most blame was assigned to victims of an ex‐partner rape, followed by acquaintance and stranger rape. Least blame was assigned to perpetrators of ex‐partner rapes, followed by acquaintance and stranger rapes. Female precipitation beliefs increased victim blame and reduced perpetrator blame. In Study 2, 158 students rated rape scenarios that varied in victim perpetrator relationship and coercive strategy and completed a measure of Female Precipitation Beliefs. Half expected to be held accountable for their judgements. The perpetrator was held less liable and the victim blamed more when the perpetrator exploited the victim's incapacitated state versus using physical force. Accountability instruction reduced the impact of female precipitation beliefs on perceived perpetrator liability and victim blame. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mental Health Correlates of the Victim-Perpetrator Relationship Among Interpersonally Victimized Adolescents

This research examines mental health correlates of different victim-perpetrator relationships among adolescent victims of interpersonal violence. A large and nationally representative sample of adolescents (N = 4,023) responded to structured telephone interviews concerning mental health functioning (posttraumatic stress disorder-PTSD, major depressive disorder, substance abuse/dependence, and delinquency). Those reporting histories of sexual (n = 321) and/or physical (n = 688) assault were queried about specific aspects of their assaults, including their relationship with the perpetrator. After controlling for demographic and assault-related risk factors, the victim-perpetrator relationship remained a significant risk factor for mental health problems. Adolescents sexually assaulted by nonstrangers were at increased risk for PTSD; those sexually assaulted by acquaintances or people they did not know well were at increased risk for delinquency. Adolescents who were physically assaulted by a family member were at increased risk for PTSD. Explanations for the findings and the need for consistent assessment methods across related studies are discussed.

Patterns in Sexual Assault Violence as a Function of Victim Perpetrator Degree of Relatedness

ABSTRACT This study examined the association between victim-perpetrator degree of relatedness in sexual assaults and specific patterns of coercion, violence, and injury. Database records were used to compare sexual assault characteristics among groups based on three levels of victim-perpetrator relationship familiarity: (a) strangers (n= 342), (b) acquaintances/dating partners known for longer than 24 hours (n= 326), and (c) current or previous spouses or boyfriends (n= 336). Categories of variables examined included presentation and assault characteristics, coercion, and physical trauma/injuries. Results of the study revealed an association between some patterns in sexual assault violence and specific victim-perpetrator degree of relatedness. In general, assaults committed by spouses or boyfriends in this study were characterized by more coercion, physical trauma, and injury severity than those committed by strangers and other known assailants.

Being Hated: Stranger or Familiar?

Like all emotions, hate is comprised of a number of interacting, sometimes contradictory, feelings. This article looks at hate as a form of affect that is tied to the collective sense of estrangement that exists between insider and outsider groups. This link between hatred and estrangement is closely connected to the assumption that the perpetrators of 'real' hate crime are predominantly strangers to the victim. By drawing upon the results of a study into racial and homophobic harassment recorded by the London Metropolitan Police Service, the article questions the stranger-danger image of hate crime and explores the significance of location to the ways in which victims and perpetrators of harassment know each other. It suggests that the spatial ambiguity embodied by estrangement - physical proximity coupled with emotional distance - injects an ambivalence into the victim-perpetrator relationship that has implications for the definition of all hate crime.

The vengeance puzzle—retributive justice or hostile aggression?

AbstractVengeance is understood as a blend of instrumental and hostile aggression. Taking the Berkowitz neoassociationistic aggression model as a basis, 84 students received a priming manipulation (anger, fear, or control condition). Afterwards, they judged one of four vengeance scenarios that differed in victim‐perpetrator relationship (coworker vs. stranger) and in the attributed motive of the perpetrator. Priming had an influence on judgments of injustice and on anticipated fury, but no effect whatsoever on aggression (measured as the decrease in well‐being wished for the perpetrator). The type of relationship had an effect only on anticipated disappointment. The main effects of motive were found on aggression and on the anticipated feeling of the perpetrator after the act. Aggression could be predicted from the motive of the perpetrator and well‐being of the victim after the transgression. Neither anticipated fury, importance of deterrence, nor judgment of injustice predicted aggression. Aggr. Behav. 00:1–12, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Patterns of Disclosure in Child Sexual Abuse

This study examined patterns of disclosure in a sample of 1 737 cases of child sexual abuse (1 614 girls and 123 boys) reported in the North Durban policing area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, during the period January 2001 to December 2003. A content analysis of disclosure patterns identified two broad dimensions of disclosure (Agency: child-initiated disclosure versus detection by a third party, and Temporal duration: an event versus a process); with these disclosure dimensions defining four discrete categories of disclosure: purposeful disclosure (30% of cases), indirect disclosure (9% of cases), eyewitness detection (18% of cases), and accidental detection (43% of cases). A multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that disclosure patterns were independently predicted by the victim's age, the nature of the victim-perpetrator relationship, the offender's age, the frequency of abuse, and reporting latency. The implications of the findings for primary prevention, forensic interviewing practice, and future research are discussed in detail.

Characteristics of sexual assault victims presenting to the emergency department: Analysis by race, age, timing of event, and relationship to perpetrator

Study objectives: We describe the demographic characteristics, victim-perpetrator relationship, and timing of event of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) for evaluation and treatment after sexual assault. Methods: Data were collected as part of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program at a large, urban teaching hospital and included demographics, date and time of event, relationship to perpetrator, associated injuries, physical examination results, sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment, and follow-up results. The study was a retrospective review of the records of all patients presenting to the ED with a complaint of sexual assault between January 1 and December 31, 2002. Results: During the 1-year period, 231 patients presented to the ED with a complaint of sexual assault; 209 (90.5%) were women and 22 (9.5%) were men. The average patient age was 27.1 years (SD 11.7 years), with the median age of 24 years. There was a bimodal peak in the number of assaults per month, with February and July/August reporting the greatest number of events; the fewest events took place in September. Racial breakdown was as follows: 131 whites (40.7%), 94 blacks (56.7%), 2 Hispanics (0.9%), and 4 “other” (1.7%). White victims were more likely than blacks to be assaulted on a weekend (56.3% versus 43.3%) but were less likely to be adolescent (12.1% versus 31.5%) or to know their attacker (23.1% versus 50.8%). With increasing patient age, the percentage of those who knew their attacker decreased (48% of those Conclusion: Patients presenting to the ED for sexual assault are overwhelmingly female, relatively young, and often know the perpetrator of the event. Important differences exist between patients according to temporal factors, race, and age. Further research should attempt to ascertain the etiologies of these differences and target prevention methods, evaluation, and treatment accordingly.

Impact of emergency department–Based intimate partner violence intervention

Study objectives: Thirty percent of women and 5% of men treated in the emergency department (ED) have been victims of intimate partner violence (IPV); therefore, it is essential that EDs screen and offer intervention for IPV victims. Several studies investigated the performance of ED-based IPV intervention in decreasing medical recidivism and increasing community resource use. At the outset of this study, the investigators were unaware of any published studies assessing the impact of an ED-based IPV program on patient safety. This investigation sought to verify the benefit of ED-based IPV counseling and resource referral on patient safety. Methods: The study hospital was an urban Level I trauma center with an annual census of 110,000 patients. Female patients 12 years and older and male patients presenting with risk factors for IPV were screened using the Partner Violence Scale. Critically ill and non–English speaking, non–Spanish speaking patients were not screened. Consenting patients screening positively who accepted consultation with an IPV counselor made up the study population. Inclusion of a control population, to which intervention was not offered, was considered unethical. IPV counselors completed a safety assessment, developed an individualized safety plan, and provided resource referrals. Patients were contacted at 48-hour and 2-, 6-, and 12-week intervals after ED intervention to reassess safety. The intervention's effect on patient safety was assessed by patient-perceived change in safety and fraction of safety plan completed. Simple percentages were calculated to convey the amount of the safety plan completed and the number of patients with a patient-perceived increase in safety. Student's t test and Spearman coefficients were used for grouped and linear variables, respectively, to examine the relationship between recorded demographic and action variables and change in patient safety. Results: Two hundred seventy-eight patients with a mean age of 32 years and a mean annual income of $6,700 underwent initial IPV intervention during the first 16 months of the program. The group described themselves as predominantly black (64%) and white (26%). The mean length of victim-perpetrator relationship was 4 years, with the predominance (65%) described as heterosexual, unmarried partnerships. Seventy-four (27%) patients have been contacted in follow-up. The majority of failed follow-ups (65%) were due to inability to contact the victim after 3 attempts using the provided information; 22 had disconnected telephone numbers, whereas 4 refused to participate in follow-up after consenting initially. Sixty-eight (92%) of the 74 victims contacted after ED-based IPV intervention stated they felt safer. These 74 victims had implemented a mean of 68% of their safety plan tenets. Law enforcement and legal referrals were reported to be the most helpful in improving safety. Correlation between patient-perceived safety and demographic variables was unable to be examined because only 6 victims did not believe their safety improved after IPV intervention. No statistically significant correlation existed between the victim's age, race, income, or length of relationship with the perpetrator and safety plan implementation. In addition, no relationship could be demonstrated between previous attempts at safety (such as leaving the relationship and filing of a police report) and successful implementation of safety plan. Conclusion: This study was limited by insufficient follow-up, although the rate was consistent with that of previous studies involving similar populations. Such a limitation likely stems from the known difficulty of telephone follow-up in an urban ED patient population and is amplified by the focus of this study on a subsegment of that population with inherently unstable living environments. Assuming previously established recidivism of IPV is present in the study population, the data confirm that ED-based IPV intervention improves patient-perceived safety. In addition, ED-based intervention led to implementation of 68% of safety plans. Success of IPV intervention was equitable between victims of varied ages, races, and incomes. Previous attempts to increase safety did not indicate successful implementation of safety plan.

Sex differences in the perpetrator-victim relationship among emergency department patients presenting with nonfatal firearm-related injuries

Study objective I examine whether female and male emergency department (ED) patients are equally likely to have been nonfatally shot or struck with a gun by someone they know versus by a stranger. Methods This case-control study examined patient records from US hospital EDs from 1993 to 1999. The records of patients aged 15 years or older who presented with nonfatal firearm-related injuries were accessed from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. Patients were classified according to 2 firearm-related injury types (penetrating or nonpenetrating [eg, struck with gun] trauma) and 5 perpetrator types (injury inflicted by spouse or ex-spouse, other relative, friend or acquaintance, self, or stranger). Results Compared with male patients, female patients were 3.6 times (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.5 to 5.3) more likely to have been shot and 3.9 times (95% CI 1.6 to 9.4) more likely to have been struck with a gun wielded by a spouse or ex-spouse than by a stranger. Conversely, women were considerably less likely than men to have been struck with a gun or shot by another relative, to have been struck with a gun by a friend or acquaintance, or to have a gunshot injury that was self-inflicted. Conclusion The cause of firearm-related injuries varies by sex. Before releasing firearm-injury victims from the ED, health care providers should consider 2 important factors: (1) the patient's relationship to the perpetrator, and (2) the availability and previous use of firearms in the victim's home. This information may be helpful in formulating posttreatment plans to enhance the victim's safety.

Child Sexual Abuse and Implications for the Ecology of Human Development

This is an investigation into child sexual abuse, with the view of pointing out the its implications for the ecology of human development. Four hundred and sixty five female undergraduate students attending psychology courses at the University of the North, South Africa (mean age = 23.8 years, SD = 5.28), filled in a retrospective self-rating questionnaire in a classroom setting. The questionnaire is part of the Child Maltreatment Interview Schedule (Briere, 1993). It asked questions about childhood sexual forms of abuse experienced by the participants, victim-perpetrator relationships, whether participants perceive themselves as sexually abused during childhood or not, and their overall self-rating of childhood. Result shows a childhood sexual abuse prevalence rate 23.7%. 19.1% were kissed sexually, 14.1% were touched sexually, 9.5% were victims of oral/anal/vaginal intercourse. The highest number of perpetrators is found either among family/extended family members of victims (sexual kiss: 40.9%, sexual touch: 27.2%, oral/anal/vaginal intercourse: 42.5%) or among people entrusted with care of the participant as a child (sexual kiss: 20.4%, sexual touch: 40.7%, oral/anal/vaginal intercourse: 45%). Most of the perpetrators are people known to the victims (sexual kiss: 73.4%, sexual touch: 61.1%, oral/anal/vaginal intercourse: 77.5%). Many victims (83% of the victims) perceived themselves (possibly in line with their societal or traditional perceptions and attitudes towards child abuse) as not sexually abused during childhood; and most rated their childhood as either as “average” (41.3% of the victims) or as “very happy” (41.3% of the victims). The author discusses the above results from the ecological approach to human development, bringing out how child’s environment (the micro-, meso-, exo-, and macrosystems) can contribute adversely to the development of the individual. It is recommended that programmes against child sexual abuse should involve also children and their parents as providers.

Risk factors for physical assault: State-managed workers’ compensation experience

Background The estimation of incidence and evaluation of risk factors associated with nonfatal occupational assault injuries have rarely been documented in a statewide population context. A state-managed workers’ compensation system can provide estimates of incidence of such injuries and allow evaluation of risk factors. Methods Using claims data from the state-managed West Virginia Workers’ Compensation, the incidence rates of workplace injuries resulting from physical assault were estimated for the period 1997–1999. Data on potential risk factors were obtained from the claim-related electronic data files, and the risk associated with each factor was assessed using proportional injury ratios (PIRs). Results During the study period, 2122 compensated injuries were associated with workplace violence. The incidence of assault injuries was 108.2 cases per 100,000 employee years. Women sustained a higher incidence than men. Healthcare workers, public safety workers, and teachers accounted for almost 75% of all assault injuries. Workers in these occupations also differed from each other with regard to seasonality and timing of assault, perpetrator–victim relationship, and types of injury. Evidence of gender–occupation interaction indicated higher risk of assault injury in men compared to women across the three leading occupations. Nighttime work shifts were associated with greater risk of assault for female healthcare workers (PIR=1.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.09–2.87). Conclusion The healthcare sector sustained the bulk of assault injuries in West Virginia. Although the majority of healthcare-sector employees were women, the risk of assault injuries was higher in male employees. Risk factors and injury characteristics identified in this study, particularly for three high-risk occupations, should help develop strategies for preventing workplace violence. Protecting female healthcare workers on night-shift duty, especially in nursing home settings, appears to be an important target for intervention.

Nonfatal Workplace Violence Risk Factors

A total of 281 cases investigated by a Midwestern law enforcement agency were analyzed to identify risk factors relevant to liability. Two sets of multivariate analyses were performed to assess the role of external (i.e., nonemployees) as well as internal threats (i.e., coworkers or domestic violence). Discriminant analysis indicates that assaults stemming from persons external to the workplace are more likely to affect male staff members, be particularly related to customer service concerns, involve prior threats, and involve increased risk related to perpetrators’ prior criminal histories. Regarding assaults perpetrated by people internal to the workplace, discriminant analysis indicates the significance of the perpetrator-victim relationship as well as relevant incident-related variables (i.e., prior threatening behavior, presence of weapons, and presence of witnesses). The relevant policy and legal implications of the findings are discussed in detail.

Implementing a hospital-based Violence-Related Injury Surveillance System - a background to the Jamaican experience

Violence, a leading cause of injuries and death, is recognized as a major public health problem. In 1996, injuries were the second leading cause of hospitalizations in Jamaica. The estimated annual cost of in-patient care for injuries was 11.6 million US dollars. To develop strategies to reduce the impact of violence-related injuries on Jamaican health care resources, the Ministry of Health, Division of Health Promotion and Protection (MOH/DHPP) in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Tropical Metabolic Research Institute, University of the West Indies Mona, designed and implemented a violence-related injury surveillance system (VRISS) at Kingston Public Hospital (KPH). In 1998, the VRISS, based on the International Classification of External Cause of Injury (ICECI), was implemented in the accident and emergency (A&E) department of Jamaica's tertiary care hospital, KPH. VRISS collects demographic, method and circumstance of injury, victim-perpetrator relationship and patient's discharge status data. From 8/1/98 to 7/31/99, data on 6,107 injuries were collected. Injuries occurred primarily among males aged 25-44 years. Most injuries (54%; 3171) were caused by use of a sharp object. Nearly half (49%; 2992) were perpetrated by acquaintances. The majority, 70% (4,252), were the result of a fight or argument and 17% were admitted to the hospital. The VRISS utilized A&E department data to characterize violence-related injuries in Jamaica, a resource-limited environment. These data will be used to guide intervention development to reduce violence-related injuries in Jamaica.

The Prevalence and Patterns of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Victim-Perpetrator Relationship among a Sample of University Students

This is an investigation into the prevalence and patterns of child sexual abuse and victim-perpetrator relationship among a sample of university students. 722 undergraduate students of psychology at the University of the North, South Africa, filled in a retrospective self-rating questionnaire in a classroom setting. The questionnaire asked childhood sexual forms of abuse, victim-perpetrator relationships and self-rating of childhood. Result shows an overall (N=649) child sexual abuse prevalence rate of 25.6%; 21.7% for males (N=244), 23.7% for females (N=465). 18.2% were kissed sexually, 13.6% were touched sexually, 8.7% were victims of oral/anal/vaginal intercourse. Most of the perpetrators are people known to the victims. Many victims (83% of the male victims and 68.2% of the female victims) perceived themselves as not sexually abused during childhood; and most rated their childhood as either “average” (41.3% of the female victims and 48.9% of the male victims) or as “very happy” (41.3% of the female victims and 40.4% of the male victims). The author calls for more research, publicity, and campaigns against childhood sexual abuse in the Northern Province.