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Social Connections as a Protective Factor for Sexual Violence-Related Attitudes
Julia O'Connor1, Jill Hoxmeier2, Jackie Woerner3
1School of Social Work, Violence Against Women Cluster, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA.
Violence Against Women
|August 16, 2024
Summary
Social connections like family and workplace can protect against harmful sexual violence attitudes. However, religious group connections may increase risk, highlighting complex social influences.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Criminology
- Sociology
Background:
- Problematic sexual violence-related attitudes, including rape myth acceptance (RMA), hostile sexism, and disapproval of sexual consent, are linked to sexual violence perpetration.
- Understanding protective factors against these attitudes is crucial for prevention efforts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the role of social connections as a protective factor against problematic sexual violence-related attitudes.
- To investigate how different types of social connections (workplace, family, religious groups) influence these attitudes.
Main Methods:
- Survey of 770 participants assessing attitudes towards sexual violence and social connections.
- Statistical analysis to determine the protective or risk effects of various social connections on RMA, hostile sexism, and disapproval of consent.
- Exploration of gender-specific patterns in social connection effects.
Main Results:
- Workplace connections were protective against RMA and hostile sexism.
- Family connections protected against disapproval of sexual consent, RMA, and hostile sexism.
- Gender-specific patterns emerged for other social connections, and religious group connections unexpectedly emerged as a risk factor.
Conclusions:
- Social connections, particularly family and workplace, can mitigate harmful sexual violence attitudes.
- The influence of social connections on these attitudes is complex and can differ by gender.
- Religious social group affiliation may represent a risk factor, warranting further investigation.
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