The Relationship Between Attitudes Toward Women, Rape Myth Acceptance, and Sexual Coercive Experiences of Male and Female Students at Religious and Public Colleges
Problem: The purpose of this study was to find the prevalence of sexual coercion and to explore relationships between sexual coercion, attitudes toward women, and rape myth acceptance of men and women on Seventh-day Adventist and public college campuses.
Method: Three scales furnished scores for sexual coercive experiences, attitudes toward women, and rape myth acceptance. Multiple- and step-wise regression analyses were used to discover relationships between attitudes toward women, rape myth acceptance, and religious affiliation, college affiliation and sexual coercion. One-way analysis of variance was used to analyze the influence of age, religious affiliation, college affiliation, religion, type of coercion, and admitting coercion on attitudes toward women and rape myth acceptance. A total of 893 freshman and sophomore students was used in the final analysis.
Results: Half as many Adventist females reported being date/acquaintance raped as Protestant, Catholic, and no-religion groups. More Adventist females reported being sexually molested before age 14 than did nonAdventist females. For the male, female, and complete samples, religious and college affiliation were the strongest predictors for verbal, physical, and any coercion. The only exception was rape myth acceptance which more strongly predicted male physical perpetration. While all the female groups scored toward the nontraditional end of the AWS, Adventist females were more traditional than were nonAdventist females. Noncoerced females were more traditional than were verbally coerced females. Males who admitted perpetrating sexual coercion more strongly accepted rape myths than did nonperpetrators.
Conclusions: Patriarchy within the Adventist community seems to account for many of the traditional attitudes toward women which Adventist women reported. Adventist environments tend to be more "closed," and public environments more "open," which may account for less rape reported by Adventist females. Furthermore, Adventist females are socialized to be sexually avoidant. A "closed" environment with more patriarchy and sexual repression may create both sexual frustration and opportunity to sexually molest minors. Religious and college affiliation were barriers to sexual coercion in a "closed" Adventist context. Finally, patriarchy, in the form of rape myths, still impacts male socialization, especially in those who physically perpetrate and admit perpetration.
Method: Three scales furnished scores for sexual coercive experiences, attitudes toward women, and rape myth acceptance. Multiple- and step-wise regression analyses were used to discover relationships between attitudes toward women, rape myth acceptance, and religious affiliation, college affiliation and sexual coercion. One-way analysis of variance was used to analyze the influence of age, religious affiliation, college affiliation, religion, type of coercion, and admitting coercion on attitudes toward women and rape myth acceptance. A total of 893 freshman and sophomore students was used in the final analysis.
Results: Half as many Adventist females reported being date/acquaintance raped as Protestant, Catholic, and no-religion groups. More Adventist females reported being sexually molested before age 14 than did nonAdventist females. For the male, female, and complete samples, religious and college affiliation were the strongest predictors for verbal, physical, and any coercion. The only exception was rape myth acceptance which more strongly predicted male physical perpetration. While all the female groups scored toward the nontraditional end of the AWS, Adventist females were more traditional than were nonAdventist females. Noncoerced females were more traditional than were verbally coerced females. Males who admitted perpetrating sexual coercion more strongly accepted rape myths than did nonperpetrators.
Conclusions: Patriarchy within the Adventist community seems to account for many of the traditional attitudes toward women which Adventist women reported. Adventist environments tend to be more "closed," and public environments more "open," which may account for less rape reported by Adventist females. Furthermore, Adventist females are socialized to be sexually avoidant. A "closed" environment with more patriarchy and sexual repression may create both sexual frustration and opportunity to sexually molest minors. Religious and college affiliation were barriers to sexual coercion in a "closed" Adventist context. Finally, patriarchy, in the form of rape myths, still impacts male socialization, especially in those who physically perpetrate and admit perpetration.
URL:
Availability:
Free
Publication Date:
1993
Author:
Lennard A Jorgensen
Publisher:
| Andrews University Press Sutherland House 8360 W Campus Circle Dr Berrien Springs, MI 49103 | Phone: 616 471 6134 or 800 467 6369 FAX: 616 471 6224 Email: aupo@andrews.edu URL: https://www.andrews.edu/universitypress |
Order Information:
Full text available online through ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Completed through Andrews University.
Subjects:
Keywords:
Language:
English
Resource Type:
Unpublished Plans & Papers; Internet Resources
Resource Objective:
Research
Level:
Tertiary
Audience:
Administrator / Leader, Researcher
Religious Origin:
Seventh-day Adventist