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Ethnicity and Rape Impact - The Responses of Women From Different Ethnic Backgrounds to Rape and to Rape Crisis Treatment Services in Hawaii

NCJ Number
75273
Journal
Social Process in Hawaii Volume: 27 Dated: (1979) Pages: 52-67
Author(s)
L O Ruch; S M Chandler
Date Published
1979
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Research was conducted comparing women from distinct ethnic backgrounds in Hawaii -- Caucasian, Asian, and Hawaii -- who were the victims of sexual assaults to determine if women from different racial groups suffer different types and levels of rape impact, and if they ask for or receive differential medical or legal treatment.
Abstract
Data were collected by interviewing 182 of the 212 women treated at Honolulu's rape crisis treatment center over a 14-month period. About one-half of the women returned for followup counseling and medical services. Women were interviewed shortly after the assaults, about 2 weeks after the assaults, and whenever they contacted the center during the following year. The type of rape impact was measured by asking the victims how they were feeling and if they had any concerns or worries at the time; answers were categorized into broad categories, such as anger toward the assailant, fear for personal safety, anxiety toward the judicial process, etc. Level of rape impact was determined by interviewing the crisis center workers about the emotional states of the victims; the states of the victims were evaluated through behavioral, emotional, and cognitive criteria, and measured on a six-point scale. Most of the women reported that they felt fear during the assault (71 percent of them), while 38 percent of them also experienced a feeling of helplessness, and 31 percent felt anger toward the assailant. Helplessness was recalled most often by Asian and Hawaiian women. Asian and Hawaiian women were characterized as more emotionally traumatized by the assaults than were Caucasian women, but the level of trauma experienced by Asian and Hawaiian women decreased much more noticeably than for Caucasian women after a 2-week period. Crisis center services were used mainly by Caucasian women (70 percent), and by equal percentages of Asian and Hawaiian women (10 percent); followup services were used in the same percentages as initial visits, suggesting three is not a differential utilization of followup services by women of different races. Followup services concentrated on the social-psychological rather than physical consequences of rape. Caucasians were more likely than Asian and Hawaiian women to return for followup medical examinations and to be referred to other social agencies in the community. These results indicate that women from different racial groups differ in their problems and trauma stemming from rape, and in their treatment needs. Rape crisis treatment centers in multi-ethnic communities should be sensitive to the differences among the women they serve and offer an array of services suited to the ethnic mixes in their communities. Data tables and footnotes are included.