A Cross-Cultural Comparison: United States and the Netherlands

Abstract

In addition to the interviews with the 20 US women, similar data was collected on a sample of 20 women from the Netherlands. The samples were not secured in the same manner between the two studies, and some methodological differences arose, leaving us unable to draw true conclusions based on cultural differences, but as an exploratory study and as a guide for possible areas of future research, the findings here highlight some interesting similarities and differences. Women in both samples reported higher than average rates of experiencing sexual abuse as children, but US women were more likely to state that the relationship with the molester was abusive (with emotional abuse being most common, followed by physical abuse). The women also discussed possible predictors of the molestation incidents and possible countermeasures. Only 4 of the 40 women reported that they felt the molester had a true sexual preference for children, and the Dutch sample was much more likely to believe that counseling and confrontation could have prevented the incidents, whereas the US sample endorsed supervision and/or incarceration. The possibility of these findings as an artifact of the different sampling methods employed is discussed.