¿En qué se diferencian las agresiones sexuales cometidas en solitario y en grupo? Una revisión sistemática

  1. Jesús de la Torre Laso 1
  2. José Carlos Toro Pascua 1
  3. Manuel Martín Rodríguez 1
  1. 1 Universidad de Salamanca, España
Journal:
Interdisciplinaria: Revista de psicología y ciencias afines = journal of psychology and related sciences

ISSN: 0325-8203,  1668-7027

Year of publication: 2022

Volume: 39

Issue: 2

Pages: 55-71

Type: Article

DOI: 10.16888/INTERD.2022.39.2.4 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openOpen access editor

More publications in: Interdisciplinaria: Revista de psicología y ciencias afines = journal of psychology and related sciences

Abstract

The study of sexual assault has had great relevance and interest in the literature. Group sexual assaults represent a small proportion of all sexual assaults committed, but they have specific characteristics. Internationally, it is established that between 10 and 33 % of sexual assaults have been committed by multiple authors. Describing the differences between individual versus group sexual assaults has been a challenge for researchers. The literature has concluded that there is a difference in the etiology of sexual assaults committed according to the number of authors. While in solo sexual assaults personal vulnerability factors may explain why these crimes are committed, in group assaults group behavior dynamics explain the interaction between more subjects. This systematic review examined the variables of sexual assault crimes committed alone versus in a group. A literature search was conducted on the Psycinfo, Academic Search (EBSCO) and Google Scholar databases. In the first analysis a total of 34 studies were initially identified, and after filtering the reasons for exclusion the analysis was performed with eight investigations. The results show that there is evidence of qualitative differences between sexual assaults committed according to the number of offenders. The dynamics promoted in the groups explain the subjects’ participation in group sexual aggressions. Collective behavior favors sexual aggressions in groups because of the processes inherent to the group. The most common group was two subjects (dyad) although the average group was usually composed of three subjects. The offenders are mostly men; the lone offenders are older, and as the groups become larger, the age of the offenders decreases. Research has shown that the majority of victims are female, both in single and group assaults. Victims are also younger than the perpetrators, especially in multi-subject attacks, and they are more resistant to single-aggression attacks. The place where the crime is committed presents significant differences. Some authors found that offenders in groups of three or more people often commit the assault in an indoor space, although others found that lone offenders were more likely than group offenders to rape the victim indoors, especially in the bedroom. It has been confirmed that in group aggressions more sexual acts are carried out and more violence is used. Vaginal penetration is the most committed sexual assault, followed by anal and oral rape. In all cases, vaginal rape is more prevalent among group sexual assaults, even more so when the assaults are committed by groups of three or more subjects. Studies of multiple perpetrator sexual assaults show that this type of act increases the probability of suffering more injuries and long-term health problems. Another conclusion that can be drawn is that there are significant differences in the timing of stranger assault, with a higher likelihood of a stranger assault in group rapes. On the other hand, there is also a relevance in the presence of other instrumental factors such as alcohol and weapons. As for alcohol, it showed a significant relationship in sexual assaults. Although the presence of weapons in sexual assaults is not very common, some research has confirmed that groups tend to threaten victims with a weapon to a greater extent, and the knife is often the most common weapon. The results found are particularly relevant to understanding sexual assault crimes and have implications for crime prevention and the treatment of victims.

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