Impact of Sexual Assault, Sexual Assault Perpetrator Type, and Location of Sexual Assault on Ratings of Perceived Safety

• NCJ Number: 190141
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 7 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2001 Pages: 858-875
• Author(s): Kayleen A. Culbertson; Peter W. Vik; Beverly J. Kooiman
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 18 pages
• Grant Number(s): F99-11
• Sponsoring Agency: Iowa State University
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study introduced the Safety Rating Scale (SRS) and examined the influence of sexual assault, the location of assault, the relationship to perpetrator, and the impact of assault on the victim's subsequent perceived safety.

Abstract

The SRS was developed for this study to assess perceived safety across a variety of contexts. Study participants were 314 undergraduate women age 18 and older. Participants completed questionnaire packets that included a personal information sheet, the SRS, and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised. Sexually assaulted and non-assaulted participants completed the same set of questionnaires; however, some questionnaire instructions differed depending on presence versus absence of rape or sexual assault history. Among the 314 respondents, 66 (21 percent) reported forced sex, 87 (28 percent) reported having been forced to perform sexual acts against their will, 146 (46 percent) reported having been pressured to have sexual relations, 71 (23 percent) reported sexual assault, and 43 (14 percent) reported rape. Type of perpetrator was determined by the victim's self-reported relationship to the perpetrator. Study results indicated that sexually assaulted women felt less safe than those without an assault history. Women assaulted in their homes reported lower perceived home safety than women assaulted in another location. Furthermore, as the impact of the sexual assault increased, victims' feelings of perceived safety decreased. Results revealed lower SRS Home scores among women sexually assaulted by an acquaintance than among women assaulted by a date or sexually intimate partner. In addition, women sexually assaulted by a married or cohabiting partner reported lower perceived home safety than women assaulted by a date. The trend on the Interpersonal factor was likely the result of acquaintance victims reporting lower interpersonal safety than individuals in the dating group. The study provides evidence that the SRS is an appropriate measure of perceived safety for sexual assault victims. History of sexual assault, location of assault, relationship to perpetrator, and the impact of the sexual assault event were all related to ratings of perceived safety. 4 tables and 27 references