Updated Illinois rape myth acceptance scale: an item response theory analysis
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Many reasons have been proposed to explain why few sexual assaults are reported, including victim blaming attitudes. These attitudes are called Rape Myths and are used to move the blame from the perpetrators to the victim. The uIRMA is the most established rape myth acceptance measure. While the psychometric properties of the uIRMA are excellent, no studies have assessed the latent structure of the scale through Item Response Theory. Furthermore, there is a lack of knowledge on the psychometric properties of the uIRMA with non-binary individuals. Analyses were conducted on a sample of 1636 participants, composed of men, women and non-binary individuals. The uIRMA is discriminating adequately across genders and items. Furthermore, the difficulty level of corresponding items was lower for men than women and non-binary individuals, with men endorsing more Rape Myths at all levels. However, analyses revealed psychometric concerns with the use of the uIRMA among non-binary participants.PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENT While recognising and addressing false beliefs about rape is central to the development of effective prevention and education strategies, the existing scales need to be updated to follow social changes. Moving toward the use of gender-neutral phrasings and measuring the different forms of sexual violence should help to encompass the complex nature of sexual violence and improve the psychometric properties of Rape Myths acceptance scales.
Source: Journal of Sexual Aggression
Authors: Nicola Beckett, Nicholas Longpré, Ewa Stefanska
Language: English
Subfield: Gender Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4413129836