- Higher assault severity increases perceived need for help and anticipated health consequences among the public.
- Survivor sexual orientation and participant attitudes toward queer communities significantly shape perceptions of assault and support.
- Reducing stigma is essential to improve support and health outcomes for survivors, with targeted efforts for queer survivors.
Violence Vict. 2026 Jul 15:VV-2025-0056.R1. doi: 10.1891/VV-2025-0056. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Sexual assault has a variety of negative health outcomes for survivors, and risks and stigma are especially high for women in sexual minority communities. This study examined how public perceptions of sexual assault were affected by the survivor’s sexual orientation and the severity of the assault, using an online vignette study. A total of 238 participants (~80% White and 53.1% male) were recruited via Prolific and responded to questions about a hypothetical scenario. Both the severity of the assault and participant perceptions of queer communities significantly affected perceptions of the need for help and potential health consequences after an assault. The findings highlight the need to reduce stigma to increase support for survivors, especially queer survivors.
PMID:42457381 | DOI:10.1891/VV-2025-0056
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