TY - JOUR
T1 - Investigating the victim pseudomaturity effect
T2 - How a victim’s chronological age and dress style influences attributions in a depicted case of child sexual assault
AU - Rogers, Paul
AU - Lowe, Michelle
AU - Reddington, Katie
PY - 2016/2/8
Y1 - 2016/2/8
N2 - Three-hundred and seven members of the UK public read a hypothetical child sexual abuse case in which the victim’s chronological age (12 versus 15 years old) and dress style (sexualized versus nonsexualized) were experimentally manipulated before completing 22 assault severity and blame attribution items. It was predicted that the 15-year-old and the sexually dressed victim would be blamed more for her own abuse. In addition, males were expected to be more blaming generally, but especially of the older and/or sexually dressed victim. Results were generally in line with predictions, highlighting the role seemingly controllable victim characteristics play in blaming child sexual abuse victims. Findings are discussed in relation to defensive attributions, gender stereotyping and the newly suggested victim pseudomaturity effect. Criminal justice, victim welfare, and rape myth implications together with methodological issues and ideas for future research work are also considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
AB - Three-hundred and seven members of the UK public read a hypothetical child sexual abuse case in which the victim’s chronological age (12 versus 15 years old) and dress style (sexualized versus nonsexualized) were experimentally manipulated before completing 22 assault severity and blame attribution items. It was predicted that the 15-year-old and the sexually dressed victim would be blamed more for her own abuse. In addition, males were expected to be more blaming generally, but especially of the older and/or sexually dressed victim. Results were generally in line with predictions, highlighting the role seemingly controllable victim characteristics play in blaming child sexual abuse victims. Findings are discussed in relation to defensive attributions, gender stereotyping and the newly suggested victim pseudomaturity effect. Criminal justice, victim welfare, and rape myth implications together with methodological issues and ideas for future research work are also considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
KW - Age
KW - blame
KW - child sex abuse
KW - dress
KW - gender
KW - maturity
KW - Child Abuse
KW - Human Sex Differences
KW - Blame
KW - Emotional Maturity
U2 - 10.1080/10538712.2016.1111964
DO - 10.1080/10538712.2016.1111964
M3 - Article
SN - 1053-8712
VL - 25
SP - 1
EP - 19
JO - Journal of Child Sexual Abuse: Research, Treatment, & Program Innovations for Victims, Survivors, & Offenders
JF - Journal of Child Sexual Abuse: Research, Treatment, & Program Innovations for Victims, Survivors, & Offenders
IS - 1
ER -