The attitudes about rape among a group of Turkish university students

Abstract

Purpose: The attitudes and myths about rape were investigated among a group of Turkish university students by a questionnaire for evaluating the attitudes and myths about rape. Methods: The sample consisted of 403 students from Çukurova University. The questionnaire consisted of 50 items; each item was rated on a five-point-scale with a higher score indicating more conservative attitudes about rape. Results: The Cronbach's alpha of the questionnaire was 0.92 and showed high internal consistency. The total scores of the questionnaire were found to differ according to gender, the male students tended to have higher scores. Only 11 items of the questionnaire did not differentiate according to the subject's gender. Conclusion: The results indicated that the male students had more misconceptions about rape than females, especially about the female responsibility for rape, such as manner of dress, rape fantasy, provocation and virginity.