Sexual Victimization Experience Predicting Empathy with an Unspecified or Date Rape Victim

Author

Gina Santoriello, Salisbury UniversityFollow
Suzanne L. Osman, Salisbury UniversityFollow

Periodical Title

Modern Psychological Studies

Volume

25

Number

1

Department

Dept. of Psychology

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine empathy with a rape victim in two experimental conditions (date rape; unspecified rape) based on personal sexual victimization experience (nonvictim; date victim; nondate victim). Undergraduate women (n = 212) completed the Sexual Experiences Survey (Koss, Gidycz, & Wisniewski, 1987), and one of two versions of the Rape Victim Empathy Scale (Smith & Frieze, 2003). Results showed that all victims reported greater empathy than nonvictims, and a potential interaction (p < .10); date victims tended to report greater empathy with a date rape victim than an unspecified rape victim, but nondate victims tended to report greater empathy with an unspecified rape victim than a date rape victim. Similarity in experience may influence empathy.

Subject

Psychology

Keyword

victimization, empathy, date, rape

Discipline

Psychology

Document Type

article

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Recommended Citation

Santoriello, Gina and Osman, Suzanne L. (2019) "Sexual Victimization Experience Predicting Empathy with an Unspecified or Date Rape Victim," Modern Psychological Studies: Vol. 25: No. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://scholar.utc.edu/mps/vol25/iss1/2