Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime
Published on: May 3, 2016
Regret and police reporting among individuals who have experienced sexual assault
1Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. c.marchetti@neu.edu
Background:
Sexual assault (SA) and the underreporting of SA are highly prevalent in the United States. Since regret is a complex, negative emotion linked to decision making, studying regret within the context of reporting SA is important.
Objective:
To describe decisional regret regarding SA reporting.
Design:
A cross-sectional, descriptive study design was used. The sample included 78 individuals, aged 18 to 25 years, who experienced SA during the past 5 years and completed an electronic questionnaire. A multiple regression model was generated to describe how selected independent variables explain variation in levels of regret.
Results:
In the final model, four independent variables accounted for 33.3% (adjusted R (2)) of the variation in regret: weight change, stranger assailant, professional treatment, and police reporting.
Conclusions:
The findings inform clinical practice by describing post-decisional regret about the reporting of SA, and they provide a foundation to develop strategies (e.g., decision aids) that can assist clinicians to help patients as they struggle to make difficult health care decisions.
Related Concept Videos
Types of Reports II: Incident or Occurrence Report
Purposes:
In the healthcare industry, reports play a crucial role in documenting incidents within an agency. The primary objective of these reports is to ensure patient safety, uphold the...
Bystander Effect
Types of Reports III: Telephone and Verbal Reports
Here's an overview of each type:
Telephone Orders
Repressed Memory
Data Reporting and Recording
Bullying

