Rape myth acceptance among student participants in a sexual assault awareness campaign on a college campus

Ainsley E Bota-Miller, Purdue University

Abstract

Objective. The purpose of this study was to examine the belief in rape myths of Greek students who attended and did not attend Take Back the Night to determine who is most likely to attend, and subsequently whether the event is reaching an at-risk population. Design. The study was cross-sectional with data collection occurring online through the Qualtrics survey program. The survey contained questions regarding participant demographics, rape myth acceptance, and participation in Take Back the Night. The survey was distributed via Qualtrics to current members of the fraternities and sororities. The data were analyzed using STATA (version 11) to examine significant relationships between demographic characteristics, rape myth acceptance, and participation in Take Back the Night. Setting/Subjects. The study was conducted at Purdue University, West Lafayette Campus. The inclusion criterion for participation in the study was being a current college student within the Purdue Greek fraternity or sorority system. Results. The sample in this study was not diverse and was homogenous. Males have a higher acceptance of rape myth than females. There was a significant difference in rape myth acceptance scores between those who participated in Take Back the Night and those who did not. The higher the individual's rape myth acceptance score the less likely it is that s/he will participate in Take Back the Night. Conclusion. I suggest that Greek students who already hold low rape myth acceptance are the attendees of TBTN and that the event may not be reaching at-risk populations that need some form or awareness or intervention the most. Specifically, the Greek men in this study have a high rape myth acceptance, thus I suggest that they may benefit from interventions to lower their acceptance of rape myths. In addition, males in the study have a lower rate of participation in Take Back the Night compared to females suggests that males need to be targeted in advertising Take Back the Night. Further research needs to be done to work towards creating stronger theories and interventions to address high rates of both rape myth acceptance and sexual assault within the Greek population.

Degree

M.P.H.

Advisors

Okoror, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Public health

COinS