Interpersonal communication and rape: women acknowledge their assaults

Previous research has shown that one in four women experiences rape or attempted rape by the time she is in college. Only half of these women name those experiences as sexual assault, an action which is an important part of recovery. This article examines whether a convenience sample of 123 undergraduate women, living in dormitories and sororities at a large midwestern university, who experienced unwanted anal, oral, or vaginal intercourse through threat of force, drugs, or intoxication name those experiences as rape and whether those women who acknowledge their rapes have better psychosocial adjustment. It further examines whether interpersonal communication variables predict rape acknowledgment. Results indicate women who acknowledge their experiences as rape score better on examined psychosocial adjustment variables. Hierarchical regression including demographics, situational variables specific to their own rapes, and interpersonal communication variables about acquaintance rape reveal that interpersonal communication about acquaintance rape, such as gaining information about acquaintance rape from friends and knowing someone who has been acquaintance raped, significantly predict acknowledging rape above and beyond situational and demographic variables. Therefore, sharing common stories is an important way in which these young women name or redefine their experiences as rape. This research also shows there is an important stage in between "yes I was raped" and "no I was not raped" that warrants further investigation to understand the nature of redefining or naming a rape experience as rape.