Adolescent Attitudes Toward Victim Precipitation of Rape

• NCJ Number: 175161
• Journal: Violence and Victims Volume: 13 Issue: 3 Dated: Fall 1998 Pages: 287-300
• Author(s): L M Marciniak
• Date Published: 1998
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Drawing from Burt's (1980) study of rape myth acceptance among adults, this study tested a path analytic model of adolescent attitudes about victim precipitation of rape, using a sample of 1,393 cases from the National Youth Survey (NYS) (Elliott, Ageton, Huizinga, Knowles, and Cantor, 1983).

Abstract

The data analyzed in the study were taken from NYS Waves II (1977), III (1978), and IV (1979). The sample consisted of 717 males and 676 females. LISREL (Joreskeg and Sorbom, 1988) estimation procedures were applied. Results show direct effects of sociocultural influence on an individual's level of rape myth acceptance, but indicate some interesting gender differences. Findings also evidence indirect effects of age, race, and socioeconomic status on attitudes toward rape, which operate through traditional gender role stereotyping. Adolescents who reported higher levels of traditional gender-role stereotyping showed significantly higher levels of victim-precipitation rape myth acceptance. For males, the direct effect of acceptance of violence on rape myth acceptance was statistically insignificant; however, females with high levels of acceptance of interpersonal violence reported significantly higher levels of agreement with rape myths that target the victim. Self-reported participation in violent acts was a statistically significant predictor of level of rape myth acceptance for males, but not for females. Older adolescents reported significantly lower levels of rape myth acceptance. Black male adolescents reported significantly higher levels of acceptance of rape myths than males of other races. Male adolescents from households with low socioeconomic status showed significantly higher levels of acceptance of rape myths that target the victim. For both males and females, rape myth acceptance at Wave III was a strong predictor of rape myth acceptance at Wave IV. Independent of level of rape myth acceptance at Wave III, none of the other paths affected males' or females' levels of rape myth acceptance at Wave IV. Educating young adolescents about the nature of rape and the rights and roles of women are logical points of intervention to decrease acceptance of rape myths that target the victim. 3 tables, 2 figures, and 47 references