Abstract

Sexual assault is a pervasive problem in our society. Acceptance of rape myths, such as a believe that rape victims who are intoxicated deserve to be assaulted, adversely affect victims and discourage reporting for treatment. In this mixed-method, descriptive study, 581 emergency nurses and sexual assault nurse examiners were surveyed to exmine acceptance of rape myths and to determine if differences exist between the acceptance of rape myths and sexual assault training, gender, and education. Emergency nurses and SANE nurses do not accept rape myths, compared to the general population, with a mean of t(581)=72.405, P<.001. Nurses with SANE training were less likely to accept rape myths than nurses without SANE training, with a mean of t(581)=3.63, P<.002. No significant differences existed in the acceptance of rape myths by gender or level of education. Themes discovered include that rape is about violence, not sex; feelings of blame and guilt; a loss of control; questions that are hard to answer; and a need for education. Awareness and education regarding rape myths can improve clinical care and may decrease incidence of sexual assault and violence against vulnerable groups

Authors

Laura Smolinski

Author Details

Laura Smolinski, PhD, RN, email smolinsl@uwosh.edu

Sigma Membership

Eta Pi

Type

Poster

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Other

Research Approach

Mixed/Multi Method Research

Keywords:

SANE, Rape Myth Acceptance, Emergency Nursing, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, Nurses' Attitudes, Sexual Abuse, Psychosocial

Conference Name

Emergency Nursing 2016

Conference Host

Emergency Nurses Association

Conference Location

Los Angeles, California, USA

Conference Year

2016

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Rights Holder

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Review Type

Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

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Emergency and SANE nurses' acceptance of drug-facilitated sexual assault myths

Los Angeles, California, USA

Sexual assault is a pervasive problem in our society. Acceptance of rape myths, such as a believe that rape victims who are intoxicated deserve to be assaulted, adversely affect victims and discourage reporting for treatment. In this mixed-method, descriptive study, 581 emergency nurses and sexual assault nurse examiners were surveyed to exmine acceptance of rape myths and to determine if differences exist between the acceptance of rape myths and sexual assault training, gender, and education. Emergency nurses and SANE nurses do not accept rape myths, compared to the general population, with a mean of t(581)=72.405, P<.001. Nurses with SANE training were less likely to accept rape myths than nurses without SANE training, with a mean of t(581)=3.63, P<.002. No significant differences existed in the acceptance of rape myths by gender or level of education. Themes discovered include that rape is about violence, not sex; feelings of blame and guilt; a loss of control; questions that are hard to answer; and a need for education. Awareness and education regarding rape myths can improve clinical care and may decrease incidence of sexual assault and violence against vulnerable groups