Attributions of victim responsibility, pleasure, and trauma in male rape

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the following: (a) the relationship between the sexual orientation of a male rape victim and participants’ attributions of the victim's degree of responsibility, pleasure, and trauma associated with the assault, and (b) differences between male and female participants in their attributions of these variables. Participants were 396 college students. Participants read a brief report describing a male‐on‐male sexual assault. The victim's sexual orientation was described as either heterosexual or homosexual. After reading the report, participants completed a questionnaire assessing their attributions regarding the victim's responsibility for the assault, and the amount of pleasure and trauma the victim experienced from the assault. Participants attributed more responsibility, more pleasure, and less trauma to a homosexual victim than to a heterosexual victim. Male participants attributed more responsibility and pleasure to a male rape victim than did female participants.