Do women who blame rape victims consequently engage in risk reduction strategies?

Research on victim blame in rape has tended to focus on what characteristics cause more victim blame, and the negative effects of victim blaming for victims. Less research has been conducted on the consequences of victim blame for the individual doing the blaming. The current research tests the hypothesis that women blaming other female victims of rape might consequently engage in risk reduction strategies. Using Bayesian modeling, Study 1 examined if blame predicted heightened risk perception, with the results confirming the hypothesized positive relationship. Study 2 examined if blame predicted the change in the number of risk behaviors exhibited by participants over several weeks, with the results showing that there was not the hypothesized interaction between blame and risk over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]