The Effect of Myth Education on Responses to Disclosures of Sexual Assault

Sexual assault victims most often disclose informally to friends or family, whose responses may be shaped by rape myths. While education has been used to improve attitudes towards sexual assault (e.g., among police), its impact on informal disclosure recipients remains underexplored. In Study 1, participants completed one of three educational modules: rape myths, myths with injunctive guidance to support victims, or a control. Although rape myth endorsement decreased, participants still evaluated a non-stereotypical assault scenario more negatively than a stereotypical one. Exploratory analyses suggested that consent and rape schemas are distinct and both influence evaluations of victims. Therefore, Study 2 explored whether targeting consent myths could improve evaluations of non-stereotypical victims. Participants received a module on rape myths, consent myths, both, or a control. Again, education reduced myth endorsement but did not impact victim evaluations. These findings highlight the complexity of improving responses to disclosures of sexual assault.