False Reporting of Sexual Victimization: Prevalence, Definitions, and Public Perceptions

Orchowski, Lindsay; Bogen, Katherine W.; Berkowitz, Alan

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_193-1

Lindsay Orchowski⁷,
Katherine W. Bogen⁸ &
Alan Berkowitz⁹

281 Accesses
2 Citations
5 Altmetric

Abstract

Despite numerous studies documenting widespread underreporting of sexual assault, there remains an assumption among some individuals that people lie about being sexually assaulted. Overestimation of the prevalence of false accusations perpetuates a culture where survivors of sexual violence are not believed when they come forward to report their experiences. Survivors who believe that their report will be met with skepticism may also refrain from reporting, which can reduce the likelihood that perpetrators of sexual violence are apprehended. Failure to believe victims can also negatively impact recovery following victimization when reports of sexual victimization are met with skepticism. The present review sought to synthesize findings regarding reports of sexual assault that are verified as false, and present implications for interviewing survivors of sexual violence.

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Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
Lindsay Orchowski
Department of Psychiatry, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
Katherine W. Bogen
Mount Shasta, CA, USA
Alan Berkowitz

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Lindsay Orchowski
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Katherine W. Bogen
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Alan Berkowitz
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Correspondence to Lindsay Orchowski .

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Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma, Alliant International University, San Diego, CA, USA
Robert Geffner
School of Health and Human Sciences, University of North Carolina at Greensbo, Greensboro, NC, USA
Jacquelyn W. White
Dept of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
L. Kevin Hamberger
Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
Alan Rosenbaum
Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, USA
Viola Vaughan-Eden
Education and Research, Zero Abuse Project, St. Paul, MN, USA
Victor I. Vieth

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Sarah Cook
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Tracy N. Hipp
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Amanda Hill-Attkisson
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Thema Bryant-Davis
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Jacquelyn W. White
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Kevin Swartout

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Orchowski, L., Bogen, K.W., Berkowitz, A. (2020). False Reporting of Sexual Victimization: Prevalence, Definitions, and Public Perceptions. In: Geffner, R., White, J.W., Hamberger, L.K., Rosenbaum, A., Vaughan-Eden, V., Vieth, V.I. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_193-1

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_193-1
Received: 06 October 2018
Accepted: 02 April 2020
Published: 15 May 2020
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62122-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62122-7
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