Assessing the outcomes for adult rape victims receiving crisis intervention services

This study is a comprehensive evaluation of a Victim/Witness Unit's response to victims of rape. Embedded in the evaluation is an exploratory outcome study that examines to what extent the psychological reactions to rape experienced by victims exposed to crisis intervention services improve when compared to rape victims who received no services. Outcome assessments of rape-related psychological distress are measured at two data collection points and include scales of fear, anxiety, stress, dismay and social adjustment. The treatment provided to rape victims is one of the following three conditions: on-scene crisis response (n = 24), delayed crisis counseling (n = 9) and both (n = 4). A control group of rape victims (n = 12) who did not receive services is also included in this examination.;No significant differences due to treatment between the service group and the control group were detected. It also appears that those receiving both on-scene crisis response and delayed services are doing significantly worse in terms of dismay than those who received either on-scene crisis response only (md = 7.67, p < .05) or delayed services only (md = 8.56, p < .05) at the second data collection point. In looking at the patterns of outcomes for the four treatment groups, it appears that the delayed services group tends to improve over time for each of the dependent variables, while the on-scene crisis group and the both services group tend to have a more mixed pattern. This finding suggests that delayed crisis intervention by itself may be a more effective treatment.;Since insight into factors that affect subjects drop out rates (from both the study and treatment) is one of the most significant contributions to the study, implications for social work practice are discussed. Family-friendly services, comprehensive approaches to services and collaboration with other service providers may encourage greater participation by this population.;Though there are several methodological limitations in this study, the effectiveness of crisis intervention with adult rape victims has not been investigated in the empirical literature. This study is the one of the first to examine the psychological outcomes of rape victims receiving crisis intervention services.