Assessing Weight Stigma in Mock Jurors when Female Child Victims Testify Against Sexual Assault in Court
| dc.contributor.advisor | Russell-Mayhew, Shelly | |
| dc.contributor.author | Glazer, Melissa | |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Nutter, Sarah | |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | McMorris, Carly | |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Nesbitt, Michael | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-08-30T20:48:03Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-08-30T20:48:03Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-08-29 | |
| dc.description.abstract | In the psycho-legal literature, some studies have found that the body weight of female victims of sexual assault influence mock jurors’ perceptions of the victim and the testimony. The research is limited to adult victims of sexual assault and does not represent the context of the Canadian judicial system. This study investigated mock juror weight and legal-based perceptions after reviewing a vignette that was based on a legal case from the Supreme Court of Canada involving a 14-year-old female child testifying for sexual assault. A hundred and eighty-five participants acted as mock jurors and were randomly assigned to one of three artist court room sketches depicting child female victims of different body weights (underweight, average, or obese). Self- report questionnaires were completed to assess negative and positive weight-based perceptions of the child victim, general positive and negative perceptions toward the child victim, verdict decisions, and legal perceptions of the child and the accused. The current findings suggested that neither specific negative (i.e., lazy, undisciplined, self-indulgent) nor positive (i.e., friendly, outgoing, productive) weight-based perceptions or general positive (i.e., sympathy toward the complainant) or negative (i.e., anger toward the complainant) perceptions were significantly influenced by the child victim’s body weight. Nevertheless, male mock jurors indicated higher negative weight-based perceptions compared to female mock jurors. All other tested demographics of mock jurors (i.e., race, caregiver status) were not associated with weight-based perceptions. The weight of the female child victim also did not significantly influence mock jurors' legal verdict decision making. Lastly, the female child victims' body weight did not significantly influence mock jurors' legal perceptions (i.e., believability of the complainant, believability of the accused, or controllability of the complainant's behaviour). These results suggest that a female child sexual assault victim’s body weight may not significantly influence jurors' perceptions or legal decision making. Potential implications of the current study's findings are discussed concerning the Canadian judicial system, legal professionals, mental health professionals, and the field of counselling psychology. | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Glazer, M. (2024). Assessing weight stigma in mock jurors when female child victims testify against sexual assault in court (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1880/119554 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Graduate Studies | |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Calgary | |
| dc.rights | University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. | |
| dc.subject | weight stigma | |
| dc.subject | child sexual assault | |
| dc.subject | mock jurors | |
| dc.subject | legal perceptions | |
| dc.subject.classification | Education--Social Sciences | |
| dc.subject.classification | Psychology--Social | |
| dc.title | Assessing Weight Stigma in Mock Jurors when Female Child Victims Testify Against Sexual Assault in Court | |
| dc.type | doctoral thesis | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Education Graduate Program – Educational Psychology | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | University of Calgary | |
| thesis.degree.name | Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) | |
| ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudent | I do not require a thesis withhold – my thesis will have open access and can be viewed and downloaded publicly as soon as possible. |