Rape affects one in seven women nationwide. Historically, most rape victims do not report rape to law enforcement. Research is needed to identify barriers to reporting and correlates of reporting to guide policy recommendations that address such barriers. We investigated the prevalence of reporting rape among a national sample of women (N = 3,001) interviewed in 2006. The study also examined predictors of reporting as well as barriers to reporting, concerns about reporting, and women’s experiences with the reporting process. Results demonstrated that the overall prevalence of reporting (15.8%) has not significantly increased since the 1990s. Differences were found between rape types, with rapes involving drug or alcohol incapacitation or facilitation being less likely to be reported than forcible rapes. Several predictors of reporting emerged in multivariable analyses. Implications for public health and public policy are discussed.
Abel, G., Becker, J., Mittelman, M., Cunningham-Rathner, J., Rouleau, J., & Murphy, W. ( 1987). Self-reported sex crimes of non-incarcerated paraphiliacs . Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2, 3-25.
2.
Amir, M. ( 1971). Patterns in forcible rape. Chicago : University of Chicago Press.
3.
Bachman, R. ( 1993). Predicting the reporting of rape victimizations: Have reforms made a difference? Criminal Justice and Behavior, 20, 254-270.
4.
Bachman, R. ( 1998). The factors related to rape reporting behavior and arrest: New evidence from the National Crime Victimization Survey. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 25(1), 8-25.
5.
Bell, S., Kuriloff, P., & Lottes, I. ( 1994). Understanding attributions of blame in stranger rape and date rape situations: An examination of gender, race, identification, and students social perception of rape victims. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 24, 1719-1734.
6.
Campbell, R. ( 2005). What really happened? A validation study of rape survivors’ help-seeking experiences with medical and legal systems. Violence and Victims, 20, 55-68.
7.
Clay-Warner, J., & Burt, C.H. ( 2005). Rape reporting after reforms: Have times really changed ? Violence Against Women, 11, 150-176.
8.
Estrich, S. ( 1987). Real rape. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
9.
Fine, M. ( 1992). Coping with rape: Critical perspectives on consciousness . In M. Fine (Ed.), Disruptive voices: The possibilities of feminist research (pp. 61-76). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
10.
Fisher, B.S., Daigle, L.E., Cullen, F.T., & Turner, M.E. ( 2003). Reporting sexual victimization to the police and others: Results from a national-level study of college women. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 30, 6-38.
11.
Greenberg, M., & Ruback, B. ( 1992). After the crime: Victim decision making. New York: Plenum.
12.
Kahn, A.S. ( 2004). What college women do and do not experience as rape. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 28, 9-15.
13.
Kilpatrick, D.G., Acierno, R., Resnick, H.S., Saunders, B.E., & Best, C.L. ( 1997). A 2-year longitudinal analysis of the relationships between violent assault and substance use in women. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 834-847.
14.
Kilpatrick, D.G., Edmunds, C.N., & Seymour, A.K. ( 1992). Rape in America: A report to the nation. Washington, DC: National Victim Center.
15.
Kimerling, R., & Calhoun, K.S. ( 1994). Somatic symptoms, social support, and treatment seeking among sexual assault victims. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 333-340.
16.
Koss, M.P., & Heslet, L. ( 1992). Somatic consequences of violence against women. Archives of Family Medicine, 1, 53-59.
17.
Koss, M.P., Dinero, T.E., Seibel, C.A., & Cox, S.L. ( 1988). Stranger and acquaintance rape: Are there differences in the victim’s experience? Psychology of Women Quarterly , 12, 1-24.
18.
Lizotte, A., & Wolfson, F. ( 1981). The social location of rape and reporting: A victimization study. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
19.
Lizotte, A. ( 1985). Uniqueness of rape: Reporting assaultive violence to the police. Crime and Delinquency, 31, 169-190.
20.
Luginbuhl, J.C. & Mullin, C. ( 1981). Rape and responsibility: How and how much is the victim blamed? Sex Roles, 7, 547-559.
21.
Menard, K. ( 2005). Reporting sexual assault: A social ecology perspective . New York: LFB Scholarly.
22.
Resnick, H.S., Holmes, M.M., Kilpatrick, D.G., Clum, G., Acierno, R., Best, C.L., et al. (2000). Predictors of post-rape medical care in a national sample of women. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 19, 214-219.
23.
Resnick, H.S., Kilpatrick, D.G., Dansky, B.S., Saunders, B.E., & Best, C.L. ( 1993). Prevalence of civilian trauma and PTSD in a representative sample of women. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology , 61, 985-991.
24.
Tjaden, P., & Thoennes, N. ( 2000). Full report of the prevalence, incidence, and consequences of violence against women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice.
25.
Tjaden, P. & Thoennes, N. ( 2006). Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Rape Victimization: Findings From the National Violence Against Women Survey. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice.
26.
Young, W.W., Bracken A.G., Goddard M.A., & Matheson, S. ( 1992). Sexual assault: Review of a national model protocol and forensic medical evaluation. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 80, 878-883.
