Influence of Sexual Assault Labels on Perceptions of Target Psychological Pain and Hardship

Women’s pain is routinely underestimated by lay observers and medical practitioners alike, as well as undertreated. Perceptions of pain and needs for support may be influenced by the hardship bias, in which experiences of hardship are erroneously thought to inoculate against, rather than increase vulnerability to, subsequent experiences of pain. Many women are the targets of sexual violence, but minimal research has explored how perceivers understand the pain and hardship of women who have experienced sexual assault. Furthermore, the labels commonly used for targets of sexual violence (i.e., “victim” and “survivor”) carry differing connotations that may impact perceptions of pain and hardship, but whether such differential perceptions exist for sexual assault, or for other crimes, is currently unknown. Exploring these distinctions could have important implications for our understanding of how women who have been sexually assaulted are perceived and treated. To that end, we tested for the influence of labels in sexual assault and two other crimes (i.e., mugging and identity theft) on perceptions of psychological pain, hardship, and support needed. Interaction effects of crime type and label were observed for perceived hardship, psychological pain, and sensitivity to psychological pain, indicating that the effects of labels (survivor, victim, person who experienced) on person perception vary by crime type. Taking a closer look at perceptions of sexual assault, victims were perceived to have experienced a higher degree of pain and hardship than several other label and crime combinations. Our findings stress the need for more research to better understand the connotations these labels carry and ensure that women who experience sexual assault receive the care they need.