Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0912-4280

Date Available

9-26-2025

Year of Publication

2025

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College

Arts and Sciences

Department/School/Program

Psychology

Faculty

Jonathan M. Golding

Abstract

Prior psychology and law research has investigated juror perceptions of victims and defendants with mental health issues. However, one factor that has yet to be fully examined empirically is how the presentation of a victim who developed a mental health disorder, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), following a rape impacts legal decision-making. Understanding this impact is crucial considering over 36 million individuals in the United States report being a victim of rape in their lifetime, many of which report developing psychological disorders following the crime. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate how presenting mock jurors with victim testimony regarding the development of PTSD following a rape, alone and in combination with expert witness testimony, impacted legal decision-making. The effects of extra-legal factors (mock juror gender, past experiences with PTSD and rape, and PTSD stigma) were also examined. The present study used a 3 (PTSD testimony type: control, PTSD-only, and PTSD-expert) x 2 (participant gender: man or woman) between-participants design. Community members (N = 379) read a fictional rape trial summary in which the victim’s mental illness and the presence of expert witness testimony was manipulated. After reading the summary, participants rendered a verdict, answered questions about their perceptions of the victim and defendant, and responded to questions about their experiences with rape and PTSD and stigma towards PTSD. Results showed no significant effect of PTSD testimony type on mock juror perceptions. Regarding extra-legal factors, women, participants with a history of rape, and participants with less stigma towards PTSD were more pro-victim (e.g., more likely to render a guilty verdict, perceive the victim as more credible). There was not a significant effect of participant history of PTSD on outcomes, nor were any significant interactions found. Findings are discussed in the context of the current juror decision-making literature.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2025.455

Funding Information

This study was supported by the Ashley and Ruth Mixson Psychology Award (University of Kentucky, Department of Psychology) in 2024.

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