University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA.
J Interpers Violence. 2020 Jun;35(11-12):2142-2163. doi: 10.1177/0886260517716943. Epub 2017 Jun 23.
Youth who are blamed for their sexual abuse may experience increased negative outcomes, such as amplified self-blame. Similarly, blaming nonoffending parents can impede their ability to support their child following disclosure. Understanding the factors that influence how people perceive victim, caregiver, and perpetrator responsibility is imperative for the protection and treatment of families who have experienced sexual abuse. Little research has explored victim and abuse characteristics that influence the perception of sexual abuse. As such, the purpose of this study was to examine the roles of behavior problems and frequency of abuse in the attribution of blame in a hypothetical sexual abuse case. In addition, the relationship between several respondent characteristics and assignment of responsibility were explored as secondary aims. The study used a two (behavior problems: three suspensions in one school semester vs. no mention of behavior problems) by two (one abuse occurrence vs. five abuse occurrences) between-subjects design. Seven hundred forty-two participants read one of the four child sexual abuse (CSA) vignettes and completed measures related to responsibility. ANOVAs revealed those who read a vignette where the youth experienced multiple abuse incidents rated the victim as more responsible regardless of whether or not the youth was described as having behavior problems. Results indicate that respondents may have attributed more blame to the victim due to the belief that she could have done something to stop the abuse after the first incident. The abuse frequency manipulation when combined with the behavior manipulation appeared to relate to how respondents perceived the victim's parents. Males and younger respondents attributed more blame to the victim; however, sexual abuse or assault history did not associate with victim responsibility ratings. Clinical and research implications were discussed.
青少年若因遭受性虐待而受到指责,可能会经历更多的负面后果,例如自责加剧。同样,指责未涉案的父母可能会阻碍他们在孩子披露后提供支持的能力。理解影响人们对受害者、照顾者和施害者责任的看法的因素,对于保护和治疗遭受性虐待的家庭至关重要。很少有研究探讨过影响性虐待感知的受害者和虐待特征。因此,本研究旨在探讨行为问题和虐待频率在假设性性虐待案件中归因于责任的作用。此外,还探讨了几个受访者特征与责任分配之间的关系,作为次要目标。该研究采用了二(行为问题:一学期内三次停学与无行为问题提及)乘二(一次虐待事件与五次虐待事件)的被试间设计。742 名参与者阅读了四个儿童性虐待(CSA)情景片段之一,并完成了与责任相关的测量。方差分析显示,那些阅读了青少年经历多次虐待事件的情景片段的受访者,无论青少年是否被描述为有行为问题,都认为受害者更有责任。结果表明,受访者可能因为相信受害者在第一起事件后本可以采取措施阻止虐待,而将更多的责任归咎于受害者。当将行为操纵与虐待频率操纵结合使用时,似乎与受访者对受害者父母的看法有关。男性和年轻的受访者更倾向于将责任归咎于受害者;然而,性虐待或性侵犯史与受害者责任评分无关。讨论了临床和研究意义。