James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA, USA.
Shenandoah University, Winchester, VA, USA.
J Interpers Violence. 2021 Oct;36(19-20):NP10255-NP10275. doi: 10.1177/0886260519873331. Epub 2019 Sep 5.
Classification of sexual assault varies based on the characteristics of the victim, perpetrator, and event. However, most studies focus on the individual characteristics of participants asked to classify the assault, the victims' characteristics, or the event; few have examined variations in the perpetrator. Therefore, this study examined whether the occupation of the perpetrator affected the classification of the event as sexual assault. Participants included a primarily White female sample of undergraduate students ( = 401) at a south-Atlantic university. They completed a paper-and-pencil survey containing an ambiguous sexual assault encounter where the occupation of the perpetrator (athlete, reporter, college student, or politician) was randomly varied. Participants were asked to classify whether the encounter was sexual assault and what an appropriate punishment might be. Additional measures included the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (IRMA) and questions about personal experience with sexual assault. Overall, most participants labeled the encounter as sexual assault, indicating that college students are aware of the legal parameters for providing consent. However, this classification occurred differentially based on the occupation of the perpetrator. Participants were most likely to label the athlete as committing sexual assault, followed by the college student, politician, and reporter, respectively. Females and those who reject rape myths were more likely to label the scenario as sexual assault. A "personal apology" and a "sexual rehabilitation program" were the most common punishments selected for the perpetrator. These findings highlight potential concerns and the need for additional training when college students adjudicate sexual assault reports and determine appropriate consequences.
性侵犯的分类依据受害者、施害者和事件的特征而有所不同。然而，大多数研究都集中在要求参与者对侵犯行为进行分类的个体特征、受害者的特征或事件上；很少有研究考察施害者的变化。因此，本研究考察了施害者的职业是否会影响对事件的性侵犯分类。参与者包括一所南大西洋大学的主要由白人女性组成的本科生样本（n=401）。他们完成了一份纸质问卷，其中包含一个模棱两可的性侵犯遭遇，施害者的职业（运动员、记者、大学生或政治家）是随机变化的。参与者被要求对遭遇是否属于性侵犯以及适当的惩罚可能是什么进行分类。其他措施包括伊利诺伊州强奸神话接受度量表（IRMA）和关于性侵犯个人经历的问题。总的来说，大多数参与者将遭遇归类为性侵犯，这表明大学生了解提供同意的法律参数。然而，这种分类是根据施害者的职业而有所不同的。参与者最有可能将运动员归类为犯有性侵犯，其次是大学生、政治家和记者。女性和那些拒绝强奸神话的人更有可能将这种情况归类为性侵犯。“个人道歉”和“性康复计划”是为施害者选择的最常见的惩罚。这些发现强调了潜在的问题和当大学生判断性侵犯报告并确定适当的后果时需要额外培训的必要性。
