University Students’ Views on Rape Myths
INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to determine the level of acceptance of rape myths by university students and the students’ views on rape. METHODS: The population of this cross-sectional descriptive study consisted of 408 students aged 18 and older who volunteered to participate in the study between January and March 2018. Data were collected using a personal information form containing demographic characteristics and the Illinois Rape Myths Acceptance Scale. Descriptive statistical analyzes, Kruskal–Wallis test and Mann–Whitney U test were used to evaluate the data. RESULTS: The total score of the Illinois Rape Myths Acceptance Scale was found to be low in the study. Male students and rural inhabitants were more likely to accept rape myths. It was found that students who believed that mass media encouraged gender discrimination accepted rape myths more than those who did not. It was found that female students took more protective measures when going out at night than male students and that female students believed mass media encouraged gender discrimination more than male students. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The fact that there is a low rate of accepting rape myths among university students and believing in gender discrimination shows the importance of raising public awareness on this issue.