SEXUAL ASSAULT QUESTIONNAIRE

The questionnaire is intended to explore your knowledge about sexual assault. It is adapted from one used by Counseling Services in the Sexual Assault Prevention Program (for more information, call (618)650-2197 or write to Campus Box 1154). Read the following statements and decide which are true and which are false-indicate your answer in the blank space.

  1. __T_ Most everyone will be affected by sexual assault, either directly or indirectly, at some time in their life. (1/4 women and 1/7 to 1/10 men)
  2. __F_ The large majority of sexual assault victims are assaulted by men they do not know. (70-80% known)
  3. __T_ The younger the victim, the more likely it is that the offender is well-known to the family or is a family member. (85-90%)
  4. __F_ In most sexual assaults the victim has done something to provoke the attack. (making poor decisions not punishable by rape....or robbery...or murder)
  5. __F_ The primary motive for sexual assault is sexual gratification. (power, control, humiliation)
  6. __T_ Sexual assaults are usually somewhat planned and/or thought through. (some are impulsive, most not)
  7. __F_ Sexual assault usually occurs in a remote place such as a dark alley, a park, or a car. (18%) (40% home, 19% friend's home)
  8. __T_ Most sexual assaults are not reported to the police. (10% reported, due to shame, embarrassment, privacy, fear of not being believed, fear of retaliation)
  9. __F_ Police usually find that reports of sexual assault are untrue, and that the assaults are a result of someone trying to "get back" at someone else. (only 2-4% false, same as any other crime, but hear more about these cases)
  10. _F_ One can always discern if a sexual assault victim is reporting a false attack by the way he or she reacts. (reaction is consistent with personality of victim and way reacts to other events)
  11. _F_ Good advice to a sexual assault victim is to clean up and change her/his clothing. This should make the victim feel better. (need evidence-no shower, no urination (drug?), bring dirty clothes or wear them
  12. _F_ A physician determines whether a sexual assault has occurred after examining the victim. (physician determine if had sex, not if it was the result of assault.)
  13. _T_ If a sexual assault victim goes immediately to the hospital, the hospital must call the police. yes
  14. _F_ If the police are called regarding the sexual assault, the victim must talk with them and file a report. (no report necessary, can be anonymous, call campus police, or 911)
  15. _F_ Most sexual assault victims react hysterically. (see 10)
  16. _F_ Once a sexual assault victim's physical wounds have healed they can get on with their lives and forget it ever happened. (physical wounds heal faster than emotional and spiritual ones)
  17. _T_ A person may feel comfortable about how she/he has dealt with being sexually assaulted, yet may become anxious or distressed weeks or months later. (sometimes, "put it behind me" works for a while, but will come back later-6 mo to 1 yr)
  18. _T_ Men can be sexually assaulted. (usually by other males, but can be by females, 10% reported)
  19. _F_ It is legal for a man to have intercourse with his wife without her consent, even if they are legally separated-but not divorced. (F in Illinois, T in some other states-fairly new in IL-added marital rape statute in 1984) Domestic violence often includes sexual assault as a form of d.v.
  20. _F_ A victim's past sexual history is admissible in a sexual assault trial. (rape shield law in IL, part of criminal sexual assault law, not unless approved by judge in that case, then sexual history with the accused perpetrator)
  21. _F_ Only the young and beautiful are sexually assaulted. (any age, any physical condition)
  22. _F_ Child victims most often come from lower socio-economic families. (any status)
  23. _F_ Sexual assault cannot happen to respectable people. (any person can be a victim of sexual assault)