Hooking Up on Campus: A Moderator of Rape Myth Acceptance?

• In Event: Insights for Prevention and Intervention of Gendered Physical and Sexual Violence

Abstract

This study examines the moderating effects of hookup culture endorsement upon relationships between rape myth acceptance and various demographic characteristics. Data collected from a large southern university included measures of rape myth acceptance, hookup culture endorsement, and demographic identifiers. The analysis consists of five models using multivariate OLS regression to determine the associations between: a) rape myth acceptance and demographic characteristics; b) total hookup culture endorsement and demographic characteristics; c) various hookup culture beliefs and demographic characteristics; d) total hookup culture endorsement and total rape myth acceptance and e) whether hookup culture endorsement moderates the association of rape myth acceptance on demographic variables.
It is anticipated that the results will indicate associations exist between hookup culture endorsement and demographic variables, mirroring the established associations found in prior rape myth acceptance research. Additionally, it is expected that the results will show that individuals who exhibit increased levels of “hookup culture” endorsement will also exhibit significantly high levels of rape myth acceptance, relative to individuals who exhibit low levels of hookup culture endorsement. Additionally, the findings of this research will contribute to existing literature on rape myth acceptance by identifying the possibility of interaction effects between tolerant and intolerant belief systems.

Author

• Timothy T. Reling, Louisiana State University