Victimization surveys of both the general
population and various special populations (e.g., college students and
children) have for many years documented a relatively high incidence
and prevalence of sexual assault. Many victims, however, do not report
sexual assaults to the police. Underreporting of sexual assault to the
police is important because of its negative impact on the potential
apprehension, arrest, and conviction of violent sex offenders. It may
also bias comparisons of sexual assault cases with other criminal
offenses. Although previous research has shown that a number of
variables influence whether a victim reports an abuse incident, such
as the type of sexual assault, the victim's demographic
characteristics, and the level of post-assault trauma, there have been
conflicting findings as to which specific variables within these
dimensions are most important. This study was undertaken to
investigate factors facilitating and hindering a victim's decision to
report a sexual assault to the police. Further objectives were to use
the findings to assist in the design of effective intervention methods
by sexual assault treatment centers and community education projects,
and to present significant findings useful for community policing and
other criminal justice initiatives.
Data for this study were collected from female
victims at least 14 years of age who sought treatment (within one year
of being assaulted) from the Sex Abuse Treatment Center (SATC) in
Honolulu, Hawaii, during 1987-1992. The SATC, at the time of data
collection, was the sole treatment center providing comprehensive
services to sexual assault victims on the island of Oahu, where the
city of Honolulu, the state capital and most densely populated urban
area, is located. Data were collected on two types of victims: (1)
immediate treatment seekers (ITS victims) and (2) delayed treatment
seekers (DTS victims). ITS victims were those who sought treatment
within 72 hours of an assault, and DTS victims were those who sought
treatment 72 hours or longer after an assault. The ITS subsample were
interviewed using the SATC emergency room intake form, which was a
structured self-report instrument administered by an SATC staff social
worker when intake occurred during office hours, or by a member of the
crisis intervention team on call during evenings, weekends, and
holidays. The DTS subsample were interviewed using a general
counseling form administered by an SATC social worker during the
initial counseling session.
Convenience sampling.
Female victims of nonincestuous sexual assaults living in
Honolulu, Hawaii.
Individuals.
personal interviews
survey data
Demographic variables for the victims include age
at the time of the assault, marital status, employment status,
educational level, and race and ethnicity. Other variables include
where the attack took place, the victim's relationship to the
assailant, the number of assailants, and whether the assailant(s) used
threats, force, or a weapon, or injured or drugged the
victim. Additional variables cover whether the victim attempted to get
away, resisted physically, yelled, and/or reported the incident to the
police, how the victim learned about the Sex Abuse Treatment Center,
whether the victim was a tourist, in the military, or a resident of
the island, the number of days between the assault and the interview,
and a self-reported trauma Sexual Assault Symptom Scale measure.
Unknown.
Self-reported trauma was measured with the Sexual
Assault Symptom Scale, a 32-item instrument measuring psychological
distress.