Citation

Yuvarajan E, Stanford MS. Violence Against Women 2016; 22(5): 588-608.

Affiliation

Hope and Healing Institute, Houston, TX, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077801215605919

PMID

26416842

Abstract

Although congregants often turn to clergy for help in dealing with personal difficulties, including marital problems, substance abuse issues, and mental illness, survivors of sexual assault do not commonly turn to clergy for support or guidance. This study utilized a mixed-methods approach, online survey, and semi-structured interviews to determine how clergy perceive sexual assault victimization. The results of this study showed that more blame was assigned to the victim as the relationship with the perpetrator became closer, with the exception of marital rape. This study also found that hostile sexism was a predictor of negative attitudes toward rape victims.

Language: en