How nursing students' reactions to rape victims are affected by a perceived act of carelessness

This experiment focused on how reactions to a rape victim would be affected by a perceived act of carelessness. The subjects were 116 graduating baccalaureate nursing students, 31% of whom were registered nurses. All subjects read a vignette of a rape in which the victim was described as having driven to a drugstore on a legitimate errand. Subjects were randomly assigned to read one of four versions, in which the victim either locked or failed to lock her car door (carelessness manipulation) and in which the rape occurred at 10:00 P.M. or midnight. All subjects evaluated the victim on a series of 11-point rating scales, and the data were analyzed by means of 2 x 2 analyses of variance. As hypothesized, subjects in the unlocked condition (compared to those in the locked condition) liked and identified with the victim significantly less, and attributed significantly more carelessness and responsibility for the rape to her. There was no significant main effect for the time the rape occurred. Use of vignettes as an unobtrusive measure of attitude toward rape, and implications for nursing education and practice are discussed.