Police Officers’ Rape Myth Acceptance: Examining the Role of Officer Characteristics, Estimates of False Reporting, and Social Desirability Bias

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 176-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel M. Venema
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Social Desirability ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Social Desirability Bias ◽  
False Reporting ◽  
Acceptance Scale ◽  
Myth Acceptance

This study examines police officers’ perceptions of sexual assault and those who report sexual assault to the police, using a revised version of the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale along with a measure of social desirability bias. The study includes survey responses from 174 officers from 1 mid-sized police department in the Great Lakes region. Results show low to moderate levels of rape myth acceptance scores on the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale, with highest scores related to victim lying. Officers report very high estimates of false reporting, indicating some rape myth acceptance. Officer level of education, rank, and estimates of false reporting influence rape myth acceptance; however, social desirability bias is an important explanatory factor. Implications for measurement and training are discussed.

Police Interviews of Sexual Assault Reporters: Do Attitudes Matter?

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Rich ◽  
Patrick Seffrin
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Stress Reactions ◽  
Police Interviews ◽  
Criminal Justice Professionals ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Myth Acceptance

Sexual assault is underreported in the United States. Survivors are often reluctant to make police reports for various reasons; one is fear of revictimization by criminal justice professionals. Conversely, police officers often lack skills for interviewing crime victims. Posttraumatic stress reactions among victims can exacerbate the problem. Although some victims prefer female interviewers, it is not known whether they are more skilled. A sample of 429 police officers completed a written survey testing their rape myth acceptance and knowledge of how to interview rape reporters. A significant relationship between rape myth acceptance and interviewing skill was discovered. Although officer gender was related to interviewing skill, the effect was mediated by rape myth acceptance. Specific officer behaviors related to high rape myth acceptance were identified. Implications for selection of police to conduct victim interviews were discussed.

Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Rape Myth Acceptance: Preliminary Findings From a Sample of Primarily LGBQ-Identified Survey Respondents

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corina Schulze ◽  
Sarah Koon-Magnin
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Male Rape ◽  
Acceptance Scale ◽  
Physical Resistance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Myth Acceptance

This study is among the first to examine the relationship between sexual orientation and rape myth adherence using a nationwide survey of primarily lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) respondents (n = 184). The more established Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale and a modified Male Rape Survey serve as the primary instruments to test both rape myth adherence and instrument-appropriateness. Results suggest that respondents were most likely to support myths that discredit sexual assault allegations or excuse rape as a biological imperative and least likely to support myths related to physical resistance. Consistent with previous work, men exhibited higher levels of rape myth adherence than women. Regarding sexual orientation, respondents who identified as queer consistently exhibited lower levels of rape myth adherence than respondents who identified as gay.

Social Desirability Correlates for Acceptance of Rape Myth

1993 ◽  
Vol 73 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1218-1218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca B. Spohn
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Social Desirability ◽  
Rape Myths ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Social Desirability Scale ◽  
The Social ◽  
Acceptance Scale ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Myth Acceptance

To examine the social desirability correlates for acceptance of rape myths, university students, 134 women and 56 men, completed the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. The mean score on the former was 98.8 and for the latter 14.3. Over-all, scores on the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale were not significantly correlated with scores on the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale ( r = .10). Values were .03 for women and .16 for men.

A Brief Report on Rape Myth Acceptance: Differences Between Police Officers, Law Students, and Psychology Students in the United Kingdom

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Sleath ◽  
Ray Bull
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Rape Myths ◽  
Psychology Students ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Law Students ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Rape Victims ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Acceptance Scale ◽  
Myth Acceptance

A common perception is that police officers hold very negative attitudes about rape victims. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to establish whether police officers do accept stereotypical rape myths at a higher level compared to members of other populations. There were 3 comparison samples, composed of police officers, law students, and psychology students, that completed the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance scale. Male and female police officers accepted “she lied” myths at a higher level than the student samples. Student samples were found to accept 2 types of rape myths (“she asked for it” and “he didn’t meant to”) at a higher level compared to police officers. No significant differences were found in the other 4 subfactors. Therefore, the pattern of results suggests that police officers do not adhere to stereotypical myths about rape victims more than do other populations.

Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale--Chinese Version

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia Xue ◽  
Gang Fang ◽  
Hui Huang ◽  
Naixue Cui ◽  
Karin V. Rhodes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Chinese Version ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Acceptance Scale ◽  
Myth Acceptance

scholarly journals Psychometric properties of the polish updated Illinois rape myth acceptance scale

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Ewa Łyś ◽  
Kamilla Bargiel-Matusiewicz ◽  
Tomasz Krasuski ◽  
Anna Studzińska
Keyword(s):  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Five Factor Model ◽  
Social Dominance Orientation ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Hostile Sexism ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Acceptance Scale ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Myth Acceptance

AbstractStereotyped beliefs concerning rape, called rape myths, are a global problem. The aim of the studies was to assess the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Updated Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale which is used to assess rape myth acceptance. The tool has a high internal consistency (α = .92) and an overly good test-retest reliability (the It Wasn’t Really Rape subscale being one exception), The five-factor model fits the data better than the four-factor one. Both in the case of the four-factor and the five-factor models the brief version fits the data better than the full one. The study also demonstrated positive correlations of rape myth acceptance with right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, system justification, cultural conservatism, hostile sexism, benevolent sexism, beliefs in biological origins of the differences between men and women and unjust world beliefs. The correlation between rape myth acceptance and beliefs in cultural origins of the differences between men and women was negative. The analyses suggest that the Polish Updated Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale is a reliable and valid tool and can be useful for further studies of rape myth acceptance.

Development and Validation of the Korean Rape Myth Acceptance Scale

2004 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Euna Oh ◽  
Helen Neville
Keyword(s):  
Sex Role ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Acceptance Scale ◽  
Attitudes Toward Sex ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Myth Acceptance

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.

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