Date of Award

January 2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Joelle Ruthig

Abstract

Nonconsensual condom removal (NCCR), also known as “stealthing”, is a form of sexual abuse where an individual removes the condom without their sexual partner’s knowledge. While research regarding prevalence of NCCR has been conducted over the past decade, there are still aspects of previous research on other forms of sexual abuse that did not account for cases of NCCR. One such gap in the current literature are studies that investigate how individuals attribute blame to the victims of NCCR. Previous research has shown that there are differences in how individuals attribute blame towards victims of sexual abuse based on different characteristics, such as gender and sexual orientation. The goal of the current study was to examine attributions of victim blame for NCCR as a function of the victim’s gender and sexual orientation, as well as participant gender. Participants (n = 413) were recruited via the University of North Dakota’s SONA system to complete an online study for course credit. The participants were randomly assigned to one of four vignettes that detailed a case of NCCR, with the manipulation between the different scenarios being the victim’s gender and sexual orientation. Participants were also asked about their knowledge of NCCR. A between-subjects ANOVA was conducted looking at the impact of participant gender and victim gender and sexual orientation. Results indicated that male participants attributed more blame to victims in the NCCR scenario than did female participants, regardless of victim characteristics. There were no significant differences regarding participants’ familiarity with the term “stealthing” nor if participants experienced a case of “stealthing” themselves. However, female participants were more likely than male participants to know someone who had experienced a case of “stealthing”. The findings contribute to the limited research on NCCR and suggest that victim blame may be an issue, especially among male observers. Implications for reducing blame through education are discussed along with suggested for future research.

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