scholarly journals Forty Years of Rape Myth Acceptance Interventions: A Systematic Review of What Works in Naturalistic Institutional Settings and How this can be Applied to Educational Guidance for Jurors

2021 ◽  
pp. 152483802110505
Author(s):  
Lara F. Hudspith ◽  
Nadia Wager ◽  
Dominic Willmott ◽  
Bernard Gallagher

A systematic review of research assessing rape myth acceptance (RMA) interventions within institutional settings was conducted. The aim of this review was to inform the development of an educational intervention for jurors in rape trials that addresses rape myths, given previous evidence that RMA can affect decision-making and verdicts (Dinos et al., 2015; Gravelin et al., 2019; Leverick, 2020). 12 databases were searched, filtered to return peer-reviewed journals, published from 1980 to 2020, written in English. After removing duplicates from the 5,093 search results returned, 2,676 studies were screened for inclusion. Research studies were included in the review if they assessed the impact of a naturalistic intervention on RMA within an institutional setting. Studies that did not compare an experimental condition to a control condition or did not randomly allocate participants to conditions were excluded. Studies were also excluded if they used a non-validated, or adapted, RMA measure. 20 Research studies were included within the review and were critically appraised according to an author-created critical appraisal tool. It was concluded that RMA interventions can have a short-term impact upon individuals' RMA. Intervention types that were effective in reducing RMA included those that presented RM information; those that contained an empathy component; and bystander programmes. With regards to duration and format, short interventions led to reductions in RMA, and most successful interventions were presented via videos. Implications for policy and practice, and recommendations for future research, are discussed.

2004 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Euna Oh ◽  
Helen Neville

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a culturally relevant rape myth acceptance scale for Koreans. Three studies on the Korean Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (KRMAS) with approximately 1,000 observations provide initial validity and reliability. Specifically, results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses support four subscales: myths about rape survivors, rape perpetrators, the impact of rape, and rape as spontaneous. The KRMAS was validated with student and community samples and a factorial invariance analysis provided evidence for the factor structure across men and women. The KRMAS total score was positively related to the Attitudes Toward Sex Role Scale–Korean and the Acceptance of Violence Scale, indicating that greater endorsement of rape myth acceptance was related to greater levels of attitudes toward traditional sex roles and violence against women. Implications of the findings and future research directions are provided.


Sexual Abuse ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 543-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Navarro ◽  
Richard Tewksbury

Athletes are cited as common perpetrators of sexual victimization and are at greater risk of becoming offenders compared with nonathletes. Demographic, lifestyle, and social characteristics of 624 nonathletes and 101 athletes from 21 U.S. Division I postsecondary educational institutions were assessed, with the updated Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance scale gauging endorsement of rape myths. Results indicate that athletes and nonathletes were similar in the degree of rape myth acceptance, with athletes reporting stronger agreement with rape myths than nonathletes did. Predictors of rape myth acceptance among nonathletes are multidimensional. In contrast, nondemographic characteristics like Greek membership, the number of alcoholic beverages consumed, and knowing a sexual assault victim predict rape myth acceptance for athletes, with gender not predicting rape myth acceptance nor different between genders of athletes. Policy implications and future research are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 503.1-504
Author(s):  
F. Ingegnoli ◽  
T. Schioppo ◽  
A. Herrick ◽  
A. Sulli ◽  
F. Bartoli ◽  
...  

Background:Nailfold capillaroscopy (NVC), a non-invasive technique to assess microcirculation, is increasingly being incorporated into rheumatology routine clinical practice. Currently, the degree of description of NVC methods varies amongst research studies, making interpretation and comparison between studies challenging. In this field, an unmet need is the standardization of items to be reported in research studies using NVC.Objectives:To perform a Delphi consensus on minimum reporting standards in methodology for clinical research, based on the items derived from a systematic review focused on this topic.Methods:The systematic review of the literature on NVC methodology relating to rheumatic diseases was performed according to PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO CRD42018104660) to July 22nd2018 using MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus. Then, a three-step web-based Delphi consensus was performed in between members of the EULAR study group on microcirculation in rheumatic diseases and the Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium. Participants were asked to rate each item from 1 (not appropriate) to 9 (completely appropriate).Results:In total, 3491 references were retrieved in the initial search strategy, 2862 were excluded as duplicates or after title/abstract screening. 632 articles were retrieved for full paper review of which 319 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Regarding patient preparation before the exam, data were scarce: 38% reported acclimatization, 5% to avoid caffeine and smoking, 3% to wash hands and 2% to avoid manicure. Concerning the device description: 90% reported type of instrument, 77% brand/model, 72% magnification, 46% oil use, 40% room temperature and 35% software for image analysis. As regards to examination details: 76% which fingers examined, 75% number of fingers examined, 15% operator experience, 13% reason for finger exclusion, 9% number of images, 8% quality check of the images and 3% time spent for the exam. Then, a three-round Delphi consensus on the selected items was completed by 80 participants internationally, from 31 countries located in Australia, Asia, Europe, North and South America. Some items reached the agreement at the second round (85 participants), and other items were suggested as important to consider in a future research agenda (e.g. temperature for acclimatization, the impact of smoking, allergies at the application of the oil to the nailbed, significance of pericapillary edema, methods of reporting hemorrhages, ramified and giant capillaries). The final agreement results are reported below:Conclusion:On the basis of the available literature the description of NVC methods was highly heterogeneous and individual published studies differed markedly. These practical suggestions developed using a Delphi process among international participants provide a guidance to improve and to standardize the NVC methodology in future clinical research studies.Disclosure of Interests:Francesca Ingegnoli: None declared, Tommaso Schioppo: None declared, Ariane Herrick: None declared, Alberto Sulli Grant/research support from: Laboratori Baldacci, Francesca Bartoli: None declared, Nicola Ughi: None declared, John Pauling: None declared, Maurizio Cutolo Grant/research support from: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Actelion, Celgene, Consultant of: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Speakers bureau: Sigma-Alpha, Vanessa Smith Grant/research support from: The affiliated company received grants from Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO), Belgian Fund for Scientific Research in Rheumatic diseases (FWRO), Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co and Janssen-Cilag NV, Consultant of: Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co, Speakers bureau: Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co and UCB Biopharma Sprl


2019 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 929-951
Author(s):  
Francesca Prina ◽  
Julie N. Schatz-Stevens

This study explores the influence of education and religiosity on sexist attitudes towards women and rape myth acceptance in two samples totaling 399 participants from the United States and Italy. Both samples completed a demographic questionnaire that assessed age, area of residence, and racial and gender identification. Three questions about religiosity and three about education were included, as well as the Attitudes Towards Women Survey and the Acceptance of Modern Myths about Sexual Aggression. In the Italian pool, 44 held at least a bachelor’s degree, 108 had completed some college, and 29 completed high school at most, while the United States pool consisted of 83, 123, and 12, respectively. Average self-reported levels of religiousness were M = 3.87 (SD = 3.05) in Italy and M = 5.10 (SD = 2.76) in the United States. In both samples, religiosity was a strong predictor of both sexism and rape myth acceptance, while education was only related to rape myth acceptance and with less strength than religiosity. Moreover, country of residence was an important influence for sexist beliefs along with both religiosity and education; however, for rape myth acceptance, country did not have a significant impact.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 249-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Duff ◽  
Amy Tostevin

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of gender-stereotypical beliefs and associated factors (gender, level of rape myth acceptance (RMA), and occupation) on public attitudes towards rape victims with the aim of establishing whether participant and perpetrator characteristics have effects on individuals’ attitudes towards rape victims. With regards to participants, gender, age, occupation, and the extent to which an individual endorses rape myths were investigated. The authors also considered whether participants’ attitudes were influenced by the occupation of a rapist as described in a vignette looking at occupations deemed to be stereotypically male or female. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 185 individuals participated in the study and were randomly assigned to one of three conditions based on the rapist’s occupation (stereotypically male occupation, gender-neutral occupation or stereotypically female occupation). Participants completed an online survey consisting of a RMA questionnaire, read a short vignette depicting a rape scenario (where they were also informed of the perpetrator’s occupation) and completed a further questionnaire on their attitudes towards rape victims. Results were examined by regression. Findings – The results indicate that both participant occupation and level of RMA significantly contributed to attitudes towards rape victims, however, a statistically significant effect for rapist occupation was not found. Originality/value – Findings are discussed in terms of implications for individuals working within services supporting victims of rape and the potential consequences of holding stereotypical beliefs for rape victims and perpetrators. It is important that research identifies those factors that might bias decision making in the legal system and thus impact upon outcomes for victims and offenders.


2006 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friederike Eyssel ◽  
Gerd Bohner ◽  
Frank Siebler

Previous research has shown that information about others’ rape myth acceptance (RMA) affects men’s rape proclivity ( Bohner, Siebler, & Schmelcher, 2006 ). By varying both the level (low vs. high) and format (norm vs. anchor) of such information, different explanations for this effect were investigated. After reporting their own RMA, 117 male participants either read about others’ allegedly low vs. high RMA responses (norm conditions), or estimated if others’ responses were higher or lower than an “arbitrary” low vs. high value (anchor conditions). Later, participants indicated their rape proclivity (RP). Results show that the level of others’ RMA significantly affected participants’ self-reported RP, independent of information format. Furthermore, self-reported RMA and RP were positively correlated. Implications for future research are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wong Weng See

Understanding the differences in rape myth acceptance between genders can help individuals to gain a better view about rape myth related intervention and reduce sexual assault cases. Based on a systematic review, this paper summarized the recent findings and discuss about the underlying reasons behind rape myth acceptance, from the perspective of cultural of gender. 10 studies were chosen and males showed higher rape myth acceptance than female. Traditional gender roles, stereotypical view of power between both genders and sexual objectification of female appeared to be the predictor of this difference. Nevertheless, the other predictors such as level of rejection to equality, education and knowledge about sexual related issues and occupation of an individual played a bigger role than gender in special occasions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 1219-1235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Barnett ◽  
Kylie B. Sligar ◽  
Chiachih D. C. Wang

Rape myths are false beliefs about rape, rape victims, and rapists, often prejudicial and stereotypical. Guided by feminist theory and available empirical research, this study aimed to examine the influences of gender, religious affiliation, and religiosity on rape myth acceptance of U.S. emerging adults. A sample of 653 university students aged 18 to 30 years were recruited from a large public university in the southern United States to complete the research questionnaires. Results indicated that individuals who identified as Roman Catholic or Protestant endorsed higher levels of rape myth acceptance than their atheist or agnostic counterparts. Men were found more likely to ascribe to rape myths than their female counterparts. Religiosity was positively associated with rape myth acceptance, even after controlling the effect of conservative political ideology. No significant interaction was found between gender and religious affiliation or gender and religiosity. Limitations, future research directions, and implications of the findings are discussed from the perspective of feminist theory.


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