Bad dates or emotional trauma? the aftermath of campus sexual assault

Abstract

Backlash critics of campus rape research have claimed that researchers exaggerate their figures by labeling as rape victims those women who experience bad dates. Although researchers have compared stranger with acquaintance rape victims, they have not compared women raped while too drunk to resist and those raped by force. This study of 65 rape victims (in a sample of 388 college seniors) found no evidence for critics' claims. Women raped by intoxication are not less emotionally affected and do not blame themselves more. Most women did not classify their experiences as rape, although all were victims under criminal law. This lack of recognition is what causes hidden victims, who do not report or seek help.