Attributions of Responsibility in a Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Vignette Among Respondents with CSA Histories: The Role of Abuse Similarity to a Hypothetical Victim

• Published in: Journal of child sexual abuse Vol. 19; no. 2; pp. 171 - 189
• Main Authors: Harding, Hilary G., Zinzow, Heidi M., Burns, Erin E., Jackson, Joan L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis Group 01-03-2010; Routledge; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult Survivors of Child Abuse - psychology; Attribution Theory; Child Abuse; Child abuse & neglect; Child Abuse, Sexual - psychology; Child Sexual Abuse; College Students; defensive attribution theory; Family Violence; Female; Females; History; Humans; Identification (Psychology); Life Change Events; Responsibilities; Responsibility; responsibility attributions; Role; Sex crimes; Sexual Abuse; Social Identification; Social Perception; Social Responsibility; Surveys and Questionnaires; victim similarity; Victims; Victims of Crime; Vignettes
• ISSN: 1053-8712; 1547-0679
• DOI: 10.1080/10538711003615020

Previous research suggests that similarity to a victim may influence attributions of responsibility in hypothetical child sexual abuse scenarios. One aspect of similarity receiving mixed support in the literature is respondent child sexual abuse history. Using a sample of 1,345 college women, the present study examined child sexual abuse history, similarity to victim, and attributions of responsibility to a hypothetical victim, family member, and perpetrator in a child sexual abuse vignette. Results revealed no group differences in responsibility ratings among respondents with and without child sexual abuse histories. However, among the 133 respondents with child sexual abuse histories, results indicated that similarity to victim moderated the relationship between vignette characteristics, respondent history, and responsibility attributions. Results suggest that similarity to a victim may influence ratings in a self-preserving manner.