Influence of Victim and Perpetrators’ Alcohol Use on Social Work Student’s Levels of Rape Myth Acceptance

Adrienne Baldwin-White,Nada Elias-Lambert

doi:10.18060/20882

Adrienne Baldwin-White, Nada Elias-Lambert

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.18060/20882

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Abstract

Rape myths are stereotyped, false cultural values that serve to justify sexual assault against women. This study examined the perceptions of alcohol use on levels of rape myth acceptance among social work students. One hundred and ninety-five bachelor's and master's students were randomly assigned to read a vignette developed by researchers depicting a date rape with the victim, perpetrator, both, or neither consuming alcohol. Results of a descriptive analysis showed that students are willing to accept certain rape-supportive beliefs, but not others. Participant responses to rape myths differed based on the particular vignette the respondent was assigned to read. Further research is needed to examine the particular myths social work students endorse and the situational factors that influence those endorsements. Social work students must be educated about how endorsements of rape myths can affect their interaction with survivors and perpetrators.

Highlights

IntroductionFalse cultural values that serve to justify sexual assault against women
Rape myths are stereotyped, false cultural values that serve to justify sexual assault against women
A descriptive methodology was used because previous research has demonstrated that college students have low overall levels of rape myth acceptance; more discriminant analysis has demonstrated that college students are more willing to accept some myths (Gerger, Kley, Bohner, & Siebler, 2007)

Summary

Introduction

False cultural values that serve to justify sexual assault against women. A real rape is a false conceptualization of sexual assault that perpetuates the myth that a sexual assault involves a stranger and occurs late at night in a dark alley (Estrich, 1987). This real rape archetype is typically violent: the assailant uses a weapon and the victim has scars and bruises from attempting to fight off the perpetrator. Rape myths are based on patriarchal social norms that potentially serve to dominate women through the threat of sexual assault They serve to deny and justify the patriarchal violence of male sexual aggression and rape (Anderson, Beattie, & Spencer, 2001)

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