Understanding the Rape Acknowledgment Process: A Follow-Up Study
Many rape survivors do not refer to their experience as ‘rape’. This PhD project focused on the processes by which survivors come to understand and label unwanted or non-consensual sexual experiences, termed ‘rape acknowledgment’ in the literature. Drawing on interviews with rape survivors and surveys with community members, this study investigated how survivors choose to label unwanted or non-consensual sexual experiences, especially how that process works over time.
This study found that ‘labeling certainty’—that is, the certainty a survivor feels about the label they use to refer to their experiences—informed the impact of some post-assault experiences. For example, a survivor who feels certain in labeling their experience ‘rape’ may feel resilient to negative responses to their disclosure (such as the listener engaging in invalidation or victim-blaming), whereas a survivor who feels less sure may be more negatively impacted. In addition, it was common for survivors to experience changes in certainty over time, indicating that fluctuations in certainty are a normal—but seriously under-discussed—experience for survivors. Considering the role of labeling certainty in understanding acknowledgment has important implications for support provision and reporting pathways for survivors.
Supervisors
- Professor Michael Flood (Primary Supervisor)
- Dr Laura Vitis (Associate Supervisor)
- Associate Professor Bridget Harris (Associate Supervisor for first year of candidature)