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. 2024 Jul;30(9):2396-2416.
doi: 10.1177/10778012221150272. Epub 2023 Jan 9.

The Effect of Victim Attractiveness and Type of Abuse Suffered on Attributions of Victim Blame and Credibility in Intimate Partner Violence: A Vignette-Based Online Experiment

Maisie Hall  1 , Agata Debowska  1   2 , George K Hales  1
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The Effect of Victim Attractiveness and Type of Abuse Suffered on Attributions of Victim Blame and Credibility in Intimate Partner Violence: A Vignette-Based Online Experiment

Maisie Hall et al. Violence Against Women. 2024 Jul.

Abstract

Victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) are frequently blamed and disbelieved, which may affect their willingness to report their abuse experiences. This vignette-based online experiment examines whether victim attractiveness (attractive vs. unattractive) and the type of abuse suffered (psychological vs. psychological plus physical abuse) may impact attributions of victim blame or victim credibility. The final sample included 167 UK residents (79% females) aged between 18 and 66 years (M = 33.17, SD = 11.26). Results indicated that the attractive victim was judged as being more credible than the unattractive victim. Results are discussed in light of societal attitudes toward IPV.

Keywords: intimate partner violence; victim attractiveness; victim blame; victim credibility; vignette-based experiment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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