The effect of race on patterns of disclosure of sexual assault

  1. African American subjects were significantly less likely than their White counterparts to have disclosed incidents of sexual assault prior to the present study.
  2. Few African American (23%) and similarly few White victims (31%) had reported their sexual assaults to police or rape centers. African American women were slightly more likely to have withheld reports of attempted rape from authorities.
  3. African American women victims reported slightly less support when they disclosed their assaults to a confidant than White victims reported receiving.
    Race and the impact of sexual assault on victims


  1. African American subjects were significantly more likely than White subjects to blame their living circumstances for placing them at risk for victimization.
  2. African American subjects tended to be the victims of repeated sexual assaults slightly more often than White subjects. This has implications for recovery from rape.
  3. White victims of sexual assault were significantly more likely than African American victims to engage in a broad range of sexual behaviors including oral and anal sex, extramarital affairs, many sex partners and short-term sexual relationships.
  4. African American subjects were significantly more likely than White subjects to have heard sexual and racial stereotypes regarding what kinds of women are likely to be raped. This may indicate that society conveys stereotypes about rape to African Americans more than to Whites.
  5. http://www.musc.edu/vawprevention/re...cultural.shtml