Objectives

Test how incident-level factors affect perceptions of rape.

Methods

An experimental vignette design was embedded in an online survey administered to a national sample of adults (N = 1205) to examine how type of penetration, location of penetration, type of resistance, and victim intoxication affect perceptions of criminal incidents of sexual violence. Multivariate logistic regression models examined the relationship between incident-related factors and (1) the belief that the scenario was a crime, (2) the belief it was an act of rape, and (3) whether “rape” is the preferred term to label the scenario and net of individual attitudinal and demographic variables.

Results

Scenarios involving tonic immobility (i.e., victim was unable to speak or move) were less likely to be perceived as a crime compared to those where the victim was asleep, verbally resisted, and physically resisted. Additionally, scenarios involving oral penetration (compared to vaginal penetration) were less likely to be labeled “rape” or have “rape” as the preferred term to label the incident, and penetration by fingers or an object was less likely to be labeled “rape” or to have “rape” as the preferred label compared to penetration with a penis. Finally, tonic immobility reduced the likelihood participants labeled the act “rape” or preferred the label “rape” compared to scenarios where the victim was asleep, physically resisted, and verbally resisted. Whether or not the victim was intoxicated did not appear to influence the outcomes under study.

Conclusions

Public opinions regarding “rape” do not align with the current federal definition; educational efforts are needed to provide a comprehensive understanding of sexual violence.

中文翻译：

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什么是强奸？强奸的要素和犯罪标签的适用

 目标

测试事件层面的因素如何影响对强奸的看法。

 方法

在对全国成年人样本（ N = 1205）进行的在线调查中嵌入了实验性的小插曲设计，以研究插入类型、插入位置、抵抗类型和受害者中毒如何影响对性暴力犯罪事件的看法。多元逻辑回归模型检查了事件相关因素与（1）认为该场景是犯罪，（2）认为这是强奸行为，以及（3）“强奸”是否是首选术语之间的关系。标记情景以及个人态度和人口统计变量的净值。

 结果

与受害者睡着、口头抵抗和身体抵抗的情况相比，涉及强直性不动（即受害者无法说话或移动）的情况不太可能被视为犯罪。此外，涉及口腔插入的场景（与阴道插入相比）不太可能被标记为“强奸”或将“强奸”作为标记事件的首选术语，并且手指或物体的插入不太可能被标记为“强奸” ”或者将“强奸”作为与阴茎插入相比的首选标签。最后，与受害者睡着、身体抵抗和口头抵抗的情况相比，强直不动降低了参与者将行为标记为“强奸”的可能性，或者更喜欢贴上“强奸”标签。受害者是否喝醉似乎并不影响研究结果。

 结论

公众对“强奸”的看法与当前的联邦定义不一致；需要开展教育工作，以全面了解性暴力。