The Relationship Between Reporting Behaviors of Male Sexual Assault Victims and the Traditional Rape Script

• In Event: Reporting Victimization to the Police

Abstract

Rape and sexual assault remain two of the most underreported crimes in the United States. The dark figures of these crime rates continue to drive research into why females and males do not report their sexual victimization, with much of the research focusing on female victims. Particularly, the characteristics of the rape and sexual assault incident, and the extent it fits a traditional rape script or a “true rape,” have shown to affect the likelihood a female victim reports to the police. However, we do not know if these factors also influence the likelihood male victims report to the police. Using the past several years of NCVS data, the current paper uses a logistical regression model to examine the extent the traditional rape script variables explain reporting behaviors of male sexual assault victims. While the primary focus is on the characteristics of the incidents (e.g., presence of weapon and presence of injury), this study also looks at the characteristics of the offender and the victim (e.g., race and relational distance). Findings, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.

Authors

• Keith L. Hullenaar, Northern Arizona University

• Matthew Brunskill, Northern Arizona University