The Costs of Rape

The current study examined costs experienced by victims of completed rape ( n = 49) and attempted sexual assault ( n = 91) using quantitative analyses of 13 domains: health, self-esteem, self-perceived attractiveness, self-perceived mate value, family relationships, work life, social life, social reputation, sexual reputation, desire to have sex, frequency of sex, enjoyment of sex, and long-term, committed relationships. Women also provided descriptive accounts of their experiences, and we used these to illustrate the costs in the victims’ own words. Compared to victims of an attempted sexual assault, victims of a completed rape reported significantly more negative outcomes in 11 of the 13 domains. The most negatively affected domains were self-esteem, sexual reputation, frequency of sex, desire to have sex, and self-perceived mate value. Although victims of rape experienced more negative effects than victims of attempted sexual assault, both groups of victims reported negative effects in every domain. Discussion focuses on the implications of the differing degrees and patterns of the costs of attempted and completed sexual victimization.