Measuring Electronically Shared Rape Myths: Scale Creation and Correlates

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Psychology
• Criminology

Background:

• Social media platforms facilitate the spread of information, including harmful rape myths (false beliefs about sexual assault).
• Exposure to online rape myths can contribute to rape culture and potentially influence offline behaviors.
• There is a need for reliable methods to assess exposure to online rape myths.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a scale for measuring exposure to rape myths encountered on social media.
• To examine the association between online rape myth exposure and sexual violence experiences, substance use, and demographics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA, CFA) on data from 2,609 young adults (18-25 years old) recruited via social media.
• A nine-item scale was adapted to assess exposure to rape myths shared by peers online.
• Statistical analyses explored correlations between online rape myth exposure and variables such as sexual violence, substance use, and participant demographics.

Main Results:

• A one-factor solution provided a good fit for the nine-item scale measuring online rape myth exposure (Cronbach's alpha = .77).
• Greater exposure to online rape myths was significantly associated with increased likelihood of attempted rape perpetration and rape victimization.
• Exposure was also linked to higher rates of illicit drug use, being male, and being younger.

Conclusions:

• The developed scale effectively measures exposure to online rape myths.
• Assessing online rape myth exposure is crucial for understanding its impact on sexual violence.
• Findings support the integration of online rape myth awareness into sexual violence prevention and intervention strategies.