(PS1-D89) The Reverse Golden Rule: Do Unto Yourself as You Do Unto Others

Approximately 20% of women in the U.S. report sexual assault while in college (Muehlenhard et al., 2017). Rape myth acceptance (RMA), defined as endorsement of false and stereotypical attitudes and beliefs about sexual assault, creates a “climate hostile to rape victims” (Burt, 1980, p. 217). Research suggests that participation in empowerment activities (e.g., sexual assault prevention) and knowing a sexual assault survivor are negatively associated with RMA (Currier & Carlson, 2009; McMahon, 2010; Mujal et al., 2019; Navarro & Tewksbury, 2017). The impact of being a survivor on RMA is unclear (Baugher et al., 2010; Carmody & Washington, 2001). Understanding how sexual assault victimization impacts RMA may help clinicians identify treatment targets when working with survivors. Thus, in the proposed presentation, we aim to examine whether sexual assault victimization contributes incremental variance to the prediction of RMA, above and beyond that accounted for by participation in empowerment activities and knowing sexual assault survivors.

The sample includes 174 female undergraduates recruited from colleges in the U.S. Data are drawn from self-report measures administered via Qualtrics. Participation in empowerment activities was assessed via a checklist created by study investigators with items summed (i.e., Number of Empowerment Activities). Sexual assault was assessed via the Revised Sexual Experiences Survey, Short Form Victimization (Koss et al., 2007), which included a question on the number of loved ones who have experienced sexual assault and a question on the number of personal sexual assault victimizations. RMA was assessed via the Updated Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale, total score (McMahon & Farmer, 2011).

Hierarchical linear regression was conducted with the following blocks: (1) Number of Empowerment Activities, (2) Sexually Assaulted Loved Ones (yes/no), and (3) Sexual Assault Victimization Status (assault history/no assault history) as the predictors, and RMA as the criterion variable. The overall model was significant, predicting 12.5% of the variance in Total RMA, F(3, 170) = 8.117, p < .001. Number of Empowerment Activities, R²-change = .024, F(1, 172) = 4.246, p = .041, and having Sexually Assaulted Loved Ones, R²-change = .095, F(1, 171) = 18.508, p < .001, were significantly negatively associated with RMA. The R²-change for Sexual Assault Victimization Status was not significant, R²-change = .006, F(1, 170) = 1.146, p = .286. The findings suggest that clinicians should actively challenge rape myths within the context of intervention with sexual assault survivors. Emphasis on cognitive restructuring techniques such as the “friend dispute” may benefit survivors who hold negative self-attributions. Additional research and clinical implications for assessment, treatment, and prevention will be discussed.