Supportive and Unsupportive Aspects of the Behavior of Others Toward Victims of Sexual and Nonsexual Assault

Abstract

Victims and their primary significant others (SOs) were asked to rate the amounts of supportive and unsupportive behaviors of the SOs following sexual or nonsexual assaults. Victim and SO reports of supportive behavior were moderately correlated, but victim and SO reports of unsupportive behavior were only weakly correlated. Nevertheless, victims and SOs reported similar levels of both supportive and unsupportive behavior. Neither victim nor SO report data revealed differences in amounts of supportive SO behavior according to whether the crime was a sexual or a nonsexual assault. According to both victims and SOs, however, rape victims received higher levels of unsupportive SO behavior. Moreover, according to victim reports, unsupportive actions of female SOs were comparable in sexual and nonsexual assault cases: Male SOs, however, were far more likely to engage in unsupportive actions in sexual assault cases than in nonsexual assaults.