Undergraduate Students' Attributions of Depicted Adult-Adolescent and Adolescent-Adolescent Sexual Interactions

    Authors

    A. Sherrill; K. Renk; V. K. Sims;A. Culp

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    J. Child Sex. Abus.

    Keywords

    sexual abuse; perpetrator; gender role; sexual attitudes; ratings; WOMEN SCALE AWS; RESPONDENT GENDER; CHILDRENS CREDIBILITY; VICTIM AGE; ABUSE; PERCEPTIONS; ATTITUDES; BLAME; OFFENDERS; RESPONSIBILITY; Psychology, Clinical; Family Studies

    Abstract

    The grayest areas of defining child sexual abuse appear to involve the age and sex of the individuals involved, resulting in a potential for different attributions regarding child sexual abuse across individuals. As a result, this study examines the responses of 262 male and female college student participants after viewing a series of hypothetical sexual abuse vignettes that depicted a 15-year-old victim that neither resisted nor encouraged the advances of a 15-, 25-, or 35-year-old perpetrator's actions. Gender roles and sexual attitudes were examined as potentially important covariates. Using a series of analyses of covariance, female participants gave more pro-victim ratings than male participants, and younger perpetrators were viewed less negatively than older perpetrators. Gender roles and sexual attitudes served as significant covariates. These findings emphasized the need to educate individuals about child sexual abuse and unwanted sexual contact involving individuals under the age of consent.

    Journal Title

    Journal of Child Sexual Abuse

    Volume

    20

    Issue/Number

    2

    Publication Date

    1-1-2011

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    157

    Last Page

    181

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000288956000003

    ISSN

    1053-8712

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