Female-to-male rape

Numerous studies have looked at attitudes about sexual assault, or rape myths, but most of these studies have looked at sexual assault when victims are female and perpetrators are male. However, female-to-male rape does occur, and male victims experience negative consequences from the event. The aim of the present investigation was to develop a scale to measure acceptance of female-to-male rape myths. The investigation involved two separate phases that build on a pilot study in which a preliminary scale was developed. The first phase of the investigation identified male rape myths that are pertinent to female-to-male rape. The second phase developed the items of the scale from the rape myths identified in Phase 1 and evaluated the factor structure, reliability and validity of the scale. The Female-to-Male Rape Myths Scale (FMRM) consists of 30 items and was found to be a reliable and valid measure of female-to-male rape myth acceptance in Midwestern college students. The construct was found to be unifactorial with good internal consistency at .94. Scores on the FMRM correlated with scores on the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (Glick & Fiske, 1996), the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale (Herek, 1988), and the Male Rape Myths Scale (Kerr Melanson, 1999). Implications for future research and practical uses of the scale are discussed.Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance ServicesThesis (Ph. D.