Rape-Victim Empathy Scale (REMV): An Exploratory Study in a Portuguese Sample

Abstract

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Rape-Victim Empathy Scale (REMV) in a sample of 250 Portuguese participants. This instrument was originally developed by Smith and Frieze (2003) to assess how individuals feel about the victim during and after rape. An exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation was conducted on a 13-item scale, confirming the two-factor solution obtained in the original scale. Both subscales (during and post rape) were positively related and no correlations were found between rape victim and perpetrator empathy. No significant gender differences were shown regarding empathy towards the victim, but men were more empathetic towards the perpetrator than women. The implications of the results are discussed.