The Responsible Victim: Nurses' Perceptions of Victims of Rape

Are victims seen by nurses as being more responsible for the occurrence of a rape than for the occurrence of a violent nonsexual crime? If so, what are some of the determinants of victim blame? The present study considers how judgments made by hospital nurses (N = 312) regarding victim responsibility are influenced by the type of crime (i.e., rape or beating), the victim's marital status, her dress, her relationship with the assailant, evidence of her resistance, the extent of her injuries, and psychological attributes and sociodemographic characteristics of the nurse. Evaluations of victim responsibility were elicited through the use of vignettes. Findings suggest that although nurses make relatively similar assignments of blame to rape and beating victims, the assignment of blame differs significantly for those victims described as respectable (married, wore print dress, was not acquainted with assailant, struggled with assailant, suffered serious injuries) and those described as disrespectable (divorced, wearing halter top and shorts, casual acquaintance of assailant, no struggle, minor scratches as a result of the crime). Psychological attributes of the nurse emerged as the strongest predictors of victim blaming.