Parental Rape Myth Acceptance: Contributing Factors and Their Influence on Parental Communication

Abstract

The current study explored the extent of rape myth acceptance among parents, pinpointing key beliefs and attitudes of parents with high and low rape myth acceptance and factors contributing to it. Further, it explored how the perpetuation of rape myth acceptance influenced parental communication on sensitive subjects such as rape. The data was collected in two phases. During the first phase, a survey method was used to screen parents through purposive sampling followed by semi-structured interview of 10 parents with high and low acceptance of rape myths. This helped to gain an in-depth understanding of their attitudes and beliefs on rape myths. Thematic analysis was performed to analyze the data. The findings revealed that parents with high rape myth acceptance had restricted communication as compared to parents with low acceptance which was influenced by the beliefs and attitudes towards rape myth acceptance. In conclusion, this study underscores the critical role of parental attitudes towards rape myths in shaping communication patterns within families. The stark differences observed between parents with high and low acceptance highlighted the urgency for targeted interventions aimed at dispelling such myths to facilitate healthier and more open discussions surrounding sensitive topics like rape. Key words: rape myth acceptance, parents, attitude, communication