NCJ Number
237070
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 23 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2008 Pages: 764-779
Date Published
June 2008
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study extends previous research on marital rape and acceptance of general rape myths by comparing the perceptions of undergraduate college students to those of college alumni/ae who graduated from the same university three decades earlier.
Abstract
The current study extends previous research on marital rape and acceptance of general rape myths by comparing the perceptions of undergraduate college students (n = 85) to those of college alumni/ae (n = 44) who graduated from the same university three decades earlier. Participants read a hypothetical rape scenario that depicted the perpetrator as either the victim's husband or neighbor and completed three measures of different aspects of rape myth acceptance. Results indicated that although participants reported fairly low levels of support for different aspects of rape myths, certain rape myths were more strongly endorsed than were others. Furthermore, rape myth acceptance was stronger for marital rape than for acquaintance rape and for undergraduates than for college alumni/ae. Practical and theoretical implications of this study are discussed. (Published Abstract)