Rape:.

l'his longitudinal study was conducted by the same researchers 4 to 6 years following their initial contact with a sample of rape victims. The study analyzes whether victims told parental family members of the rape at the time of the rape, and of their reasons for or for not telling. The majority of the 81 rape victims told selective parental family members (42%). 33% told all family members, and 25% told no family member, Victims were found to have had specific reasons for disclosing(wanted to tell, expected to tell, presured to tell, and uncontrolled telling). as well as reasons for not telling (protecting the family from upsetting news, value conflict with family, maintaining independence, psychologically distant from family, and geographically distant from family). A major recommendation for rape counseling is to help the victim predict family reaction to disclosure of the news as part of the decision on whether to tell family. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]