Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020;30(1):45-62.
doi: 10.1080/10508422.2018.1552519. Epub 2018 Dec 20.

Predictors of College Students' Likelihood to Report Hypothetical Rape: Rape Myth Acceptance, Perceived Barriers to Reporting, and Self-Efficacy

Christine K Hahn  1 , Austin Hahn  1 , Sam Gaster  2 , Randy Quevillon  2
Affiliations

Predictors of College Students' Likelihood to Report Hypothetical Rape: Rape Myth Acceptance, Perceived Barriers to Reporting, and Self-Efficacy

Christine K Hahn et al. Ethics Behav. 2020.

Abstract

Rape myth acceptance (RMA), perceived barriers, and self-efficacy were examined as predictors of likelihood to report different types of rape to law enforcement among 409 undergraduates. Participants had lower likelihood to report incapacitated compared to physically forced rape. Men had lower reporting likelihood than women for rape perpetrated by the same and opposite sex, and were more likely to perceive several barriers. RMA and perceived barriers predicted a lower likelihood to report several types of rape. Among men, higher self-efficacy predicted increased reporting likelihood. Targeting RMA and decreasing perceived barriers is imperative to increase college students' likelihood to report rape to local and campus law enforcement.

Keywords: barriers; college policy; college students; incapacitated rape; rape myth acceptance; reporting rape; self-efficacy; sex differences.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. American College Health Association (2013). 2013 American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment (NCHA). Retrieved from: http://web.mit.edu/surveys/health/2013ACHA-Summary.pdf
    1. Anderson I (2007). What is a typical rape? Effects of victim and participant gender in female and male rape perception. The British Journal of Social Psychology / The British Psychological Society, 46(Pt 1), 225–245. - PubMed
    1. Aronowitz T, Lambert CA, & Davidoff S (2012). The Role of Rape Myth Acceptance in the Social Norms Regarding Sexual Behavior Among College Students. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 29(3), 173–182. doi:10.1080/07370016.2012.697852 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baer JS, Kivlahahn DR, Blume AW, McKnight P, & Marlatt GA (2001). Brief intervention for heavy-drinking college students: 4-year follow-up and natural history. American Journal of Public Health, 91(8), 1310–1316. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bandura A (1999). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change In Baumeister RF, Baumeister RF (Eds.), The self in social psychology (pp. 285–298). New York, NY, US: Psychology Press.

LinkOut - more resources