Self-Reported Fears of Rape Victims

Abstract

To test the hypothesis that rape victim fears are classically conditioned (i.e., present during or subsequent to the assault), 20 rape victims and 12 nonvictims completed a Modified Fear Survey which contained standard items from the Wolpe and Lang fear survey as well as items originating from victim reports of fearful situations. The survey was scored for rape fears and total fears. No difference was found between groups on mean rape fears or total fears. However, a significantly greater variance of rape fear scores was observed for victims. Subsequent analyses of items rated as extremely fear-provoking revealed differences between victims and nonvictims. Items and situations rated as most disturbing for rape victims support the hypothesis that victims are significantly disturbed by rape-related situations and associations. Content analysis of highly ranked items suggests that the violent, rather than sexual, aspects of the assaults are most fear-engendering.