Perceptions of male victims in depicted sexual assaults: A review of the literature

In recent years there has been a steady increase in the amount of literature on perceptions of male victim of sexual assault. Much of this research focuses around the concept of victim blame. This paper reviews the research on perceptions of male victims of sexual assault, with particular reference to victim blame for male rape. The paper considers the conceptual differences in types of blame in relation to male rape. It also offers to extend the traditional feminist interpretation of victim blame to explain blame toward male as well as female victims. Perceptions of male victims of male and female perpetrators are considered, as are both adult and child victims. The paper concludes by outlining some suggestions for future work and implications for treatment of male victims of sexual assault. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.