To test the common assumption that only women should treat rape victims,
the authors examined the effect of therapists' gender on their counseling
of 41 rape victims. The men and women counselors did not differ
significantly in their descriptions of their affective responses to the
patients or in their treatment recommendations. The women therapists rated
victims as having more functional impairment on the Global Assessment
Scale, possibly suggesting that they were more sensitive to the victims'
distress. The total group of therapists viewed the rape victims more
positively than they viewed other female emergency room patients, probably
reflecting "undesirable" characteristics of persons who use this
setting.Abstract Teaser