scholarly journals Evaluation of USVreact: A Staff Training Program to Prevent Sexual Violence at Universities

2020 ◽  
pp. 109019812093948
Author(s):  
Mara Martini ◽  
Norma De Piccoli
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Systematic Evaluation ◽  
University Staff ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Myth Acceptance

Interventions addressing the endemic of sexual violence at European universities are scarce, particularly those that take a bystander focus to sexual violence prevention and involve university staff. Evidence-based data on their effectiveness are also lacking. This article reports the description of a pilot evaluation study of the USVreact Italian training program addressed to university staff for counteracting sexual violence. We assessed initial (T1) representations of gender-based violence, rape myth acceptance, and attitudes to bystander intervention (172 participants), and evaluated the effectiveness of the course by comparing, via paired-sample t tests, the responses before and after (T2) training (66 participants). Comparison between pre- (T1) and posttraining (T2) responses indicated that the participants’ ability to recognize subtle forms of violence and reduce rape myth acceptance was increased after training. Relatively few training programs based on the bystander approach to prevent gender-based violence at university have been performed to date in Europe and data on their effectiveness are scarce. Several limitations notwithstanding, the present pilot evaluation study provides suggestions for a more systematic evaluation of training interventions that address cultural legitimation of gender-based violence and that sustain bystander interventions in sexual assault prevention.

scholarly journals GENDER ROLE NORM CONFORMITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joke Depraetere ◽  
Ines Keygnaert ◽  
Christophe Vandeviver
Keyword(s):  
Gender Role ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
Male Victims ◽  
Role Norm ◽  
Role Norms ◽  
Myth Acceptance

Background. The possibility of men being perceived as sexual violence victims is constrained by stereotypical masculine gender norms, describing men as dominant and sexual opportunists, and by rape myths. These stereotypical views suggest that men cannot suffer adverse psychological consequences from sexual victimization and are less affected by it compared to women. Nevertheless, research demonstrates that men suffer psychologically from sexual victimization similar to women, and that their victimization might be associated with poorer psychological health outcomes compared to women. Additionally, scholars have argued that stereotypical gender roles and rape myths may worsen the adverse outcomes of sexual victimization. Yet, thus far, empirical research to test these hypotheses was lacking.Method. We examined the psychological consequences of sexual victimization among 696 male (n = 135) and female (n = 561) college students who self-identified as victims of sexual violence. We examined the effect of gender role norm endorsement and rape myth acceptance on the severity of self-reported psychological consequences of sexual victimization. Results. Results showed that, overall, female victims disclose psychological consequences to a greater extent than male victims. Our findings confirmed that higher endorsement of both masculine and feminine gender role norms increase the severity of psychological consequences among both men and women. Rape myth acceptance only influenced the severity of the consequences for female victims but in the opposite direction than hypothesized. Nonetheless, the odds ratio suggest that the influence of rape myth acceptance is negligible. Conclusion. With this study we point out the problematic influence gender role norms have on victims of sexual violence, particularly male victims, and the consequences they may suffer. We argue for a deconstruction of stereotypical masculine role norms in order for men to accept their victimization and talk about their experiences with others.

scholarly journals The Chivalrous Bystander: The Role of Gender-Based Beliefs and Empathy on Bystander Behavior and Perceived Barriers to Intervention

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052091627
Author(s):  
Kristen Yule ◽  
Jill C. Hoxmeier ◽  
Kevin Petranu ◽  
John Grych
Keyword(s):  
Benevolent Sexism ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Perceived Barriers ◽  
Hostile Sexism ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Bystander Behavior ◽  
Behavior Understanding ◽  
Skill Deficit ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Myth Acceptance

Despite substantial evidence demonstrating a relation between gender-based beliefs and violence against women, there has been little research examining whether sexist attitudes are related to prosocial bystander behavior. Understanding psychosocial influences on bystanders’ behavior could inform bystander training programs on college campuses, and so the current study examined the unique and joint effects of three gender-based attitudes (rape myth acceptance, hostile sexism, and benevolent sexism) and empathy in predicting bystander behavior and perceived barriers to intervention in situations that undergraduates ( N = 500; 70% female; Mage = 18.86 years) had experienced in the prior year. Benevolent sexism was the only gender-based attitude consistently associated with bystander behavior and perceived barriers. After accounting for participant empathy, benevolent sexism uniquely predicted less intervention in post-assault situations, greater perceived barriers in pre- and post-assault situations, and greater Failure to Perceive Responsibility and Skill Deficit barriers across situations. Associations between gender-based attitudes and bystander behavior also differed for men and women, with rape myth acceptance predicting greater Failure to Perceive Responsibility barriers and benevolent sexism predicting greater Skill Deficit barriers for women but not men. These results suggest that existing bystander education programs can be improved by explicitly addressing benevolent sexist beliefs and promoting empathy for victims of assault.

Tipping the Scales: Effects of Gender, Rape Myth Acceptance, and Anti-Fat Attitudes on Judgments of Sexual Coercion Scenarios

2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051987297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra M. Zidenberg ◽  
Brandon Sparks ◽  
Leigh Harkins ◽  
Sara K. Lidstone
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Sexual Coercion ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Overweight Women ◽  
Mitigating Factors ◽  
Mock Jury ◽  
Prejudicial Attitudes ◽  
Myth Acceptance

A damaging belief exists that to become a victim of sexual violence, victims must be deemed sexually desirable. As a result, sexual violations where the victims are individuals whom society may deem as less attractive—such as overweight women—may elicit less empathy for the victim or minimize the likelihood they are believed. Yet, there is some evidence that overweight women actually report higher rates of sexual violence than women of other weight categories. Although there has been some research implicating weight biases in sexual assault cases, this has not been extended to cases of sexual coercion despite their growing share of police reports. A sample of 168 participants were recruited from Canada via social media ( n = 82) and through a midsized university in Ontario, Canada ( n = 86). Using a mock jury paradigm, participants responded to a vignette depicting the sexual coercion of a thin or overweight woman. Participants reported their opinions on the sexual coercion scenario, and prejudicial attitudes, using two standardized scales. Men reported greater rape myth acceptance, anti-fat attitudes, and victim responsibility and endorsed significantly more perpetrator mitigating factors and expressed more negative affect toward the victim. Participants in the overweight condition also expressed greater perpetrator sympathy, greater perpetrator mitigation, and less negative affect toward the perpetrator. These results suggest that overweight women may face additional barriers when reporting their experiences of sexual coercion, particularly to men.

scholarly journals "I Think She's Learnt Her Lesson": Juror Use of Cultural Misconceptions in Sexual Violence Trials

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 463-486
Author(s):  
Yvette Tinsley ◽  
Claire Baylis ◽  
Warren Young
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Jury Trials ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Culturally Embedded ◽  
Myth Acceptance

The extent to which decision-making in sexual violence jury trials is impacted by culturally embedded misconceptions is not well understood. In this article, we provide an insight into the views of 121 real jurors in 18 sexual violence trials, illustrating that rape myth acceptance scales give an incomplete view of when and how jurors might be influenced by cultural misconceptions. Prompted in part by the behaviour and tactics of counsel, jurors in real trials often expect complainants to fight back and to report sexual offending immediately. They also have expectations of complainants and defendants that derive from misconceptions about "real rape". While our study confirms that jurors are susceptible to cultural misconceptions, it also demonstrates the complexity of assessing the extent of their influence and the difficulties in designing reforms to reduce their use.

Rape Myth Acceptance of Police Officers in Portugal

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052091628
Author(s):  
Marisalva Fávero ◽  
Amaia Del Campo ◽  
Sandra Faria ◽  
Diana Moreira ◽  
Filipe Ribeiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Professional Experience ◽  
Specific Training ◽  
Length Of Service ◽  
Sociodemographic Data ◽  
Myth Acceptance

This study intended to examine rape myth acceptance (RMA) among police officers and its relationship with sociodemographic data, length of service, specific training in the field, and professional experience with victims of rape. To this end, we applied the Sexual Violence Beliefs Scale (ECVS) and controlled for sociodemographic data, as well as professional experience and specific training in the field, through a self-report questionnaire. The sample was composed of 400 police officers from a city in the north of Portugal, aged between 29 and 54 years, and most were men (94.3%). We found that tolerance to overall sexual violence exhibits positive correlations with age and length of service, as well as negative correlations with education levels. Differences were also found regarding gender, with men exhibiting greater tolerance/acceptance of overall sexual violence. It was also found that officers who exhibit higher tolerance/acceptance for sexual violence, overall, are those who do not consider it relevant to receive specific training in the field of sexual violence to perform their duties, who report not having any professional experience with cases of sexual violence and also do not consider it necessary to have specific abilities for these types of cases. Implications for decision-making in legal proceedings are discussed, stressing the need for specific specialization in intervention with victims of sexual assault, with a strong practical component.

scholarly journals “I learned that sports teaches rape culture”: Assessing Sexual Violence Prevention Education for Intercollegiate Athletes

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristy McCray ◽  
Elizabeth Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Violence Prevention ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Attitudes Toward Women ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Fair Play ◽  
Intercollegiate Athletes ◽  
Prevention Education ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Myth Acceptance

In fall 2018, 81 intercollegiate athletes participated in Fair Play: Sexual Violence Prevention for Athletes. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of the Fair Play curriculum and facilitation, specifically learning if athletes’ attitudes toward women and/or rape myth acceptance changed as a result of their participation in Fair Play. Athletes completed pre- and post-test surveys to measure perceptions of sexual assault/rape myth acceptance (Gerger, Kley, Bohner, & Siebler, 2007) and gender roles (Spence, Helmreich, & Stapp, 1973). In addition, 20 athletes participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews to further explain their knowledge of sexual violence after completing Fair Play. Survey results showed significant differences for pre- and post-test scores on rape myth acceptance, but not for attitudes toward women. Interview results showed that Fair Play participants could articulate a raised awareness of sexual violence, appropriately define sexual violence and consent, and a rejection of rape myths. Implications include further understanding of effective rape prevention education.

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