Year of Award

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Name

Clinical Psychology

Department or School/College

Department of Psychology

Committee Chair

Christine Fiore

Commitee Members

Allen Szalda-Petree, Laura Kirsch, Caitlin Martin-Wagar, Annie Glover

Keywords

False allegations, Intergroup Contact Theory, Rape myth acceptance, Sexual violence

Abstract

False allegations of sexual assault represent approximately 2% to 10% of all sexual assault allegations reported to law enforcement (Lisak et al., 2010). Despite this low prevalence rate, people tend to overestimate the occurrence of false allegations, and give false allegations excessive weight in arguments about rape myths and policy-making decisions. This excessive weight is given despite a lack of research evidence that false reports of sexual violence occur more frequently than those of any other crime (Ask, 2010; McMillan, 2018; Stabile et al., 2019). This overestimation is likely influenced by the overrepresentation and sensationalization of false allegations in the media, public discourse, and online social networking platforms (Banet-Weiser, 2021; Jones et al., 2021; Stabile et al., 2019). The current study seeks to examine this false allegation myth through quantitative study of young adults in a university setting, for whom sexual violence perpetration and victimization tend to be more prevalent than in the general population (Black et al., 2011; Sinozich & Langton, 2014; Rickert et al., 2004). Quantitative analysis of 1,060 participant responses to a university-wide student survey demonstrated that male gender, conservative political beliefs, false accuser acquaintance, lack of survivor acquaintance, lack of primary victimization experiences, and gaps in definitional knowledge of sexual violence and false allegations were associated with false allegation myth acceptance. This study highlights the importance of educational efforts in dispelling rape myths and evidences support for Intergroup Contact Theory as a model for educational intervention efforts.

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© Copyright 2023 Alexandra Marie Buscaglia