Remember the post about Mimi Kavalerchik’s research with Dr. Heath Hoffmann? Well, Liana McNallan is also being mentored from the assistant professor of sociology and department chair whose research interests include crime and deviance. Liana’s bachelor’s essay compares the psychological well-being of rape survivors who do and do not report the crime to police.
Abstract: According to the National Survey of Adolescents found that about 1 in 12 children ages 12 to 17 have been victims of at least one incident of forcible sexual assault. However the National Women’s Study reported that 84% of women did not report the crime to the police. While these studies show the likelihood of being a victim and also the unlikely of reporting the crime, little research has been done to demonstrate the consequences of reporting. The present study analyzed data from the National Survey of Adolescents that included data collected from 3600 12 to 17 year-olds. Data of children who had experienced at least one incident of sexual assault were analyzed based upon whether the incident was reported to an authority figure, such as a parent or teacher, or to the police, or to neither. Based upon these criteria, occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive episodes were analyzed. It is expected that those who reported the incident experienced a decreased relative risk of poor mental health outcomes.
Liana explains her interest in the topic:
“I am interested in the topic because [sexual assault is] a problem that effects one in four college women and there is still so much more that can be learned and done to prevent sexual assault and to help those who have been affected by it. Victims of rape are stigmatized so heavily and it’s truly unfair. There are a lot of misconceptions about rape victims and many of them are blamed and labeled. While there has been a lot of progress in the social and judicial systems (i.e. rape shield laws) it is still difficult to prosecute rapes and many victims don’t report because of the stigmatization and lack of judicial success. Additionally, all of the cases that we hear about in the news about schools or other organizations not doing enough about sexual assaults inflate the issue even more.”
In related news, please check out a Charleston City Paper article about sexual assault written by Women’s and Gender Studies Director Alison Piepmeier’s here.