Analysis

The Rape Supportive Attitude Scale (RSAS) is a tool used to evaluate individuals’ attitudes and beliefs related to rape. It was Rape Supportive Attitude Scale [RSAS-20]

Description

The Rape Supportive Attitude Scale [RSAS-20] is a 20-item self-report instrument developed to assess attitudes and beliefs that may justify, minimize, normalize, or support sexual violence, including beliefs that attribute responsibility to victims.

Purpose

The RSAS-20 is designed to examine attitudes related to:

  • victim blaming,
  • justification of sexual violence under certain circumstances,
  • minimization of the seriousness of rape,
  • acceptance of rape-related myths and stereotypes.

Scoring

The scale consists of 20 items typically rated on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 = “Strongly Disagree” to 5 = “Strongly Agree.” Higher scores generally indicate greater endorsement of rape-supportive attitudes.

Psychometric Properties

The RSAS-20 has been used in research examining attitudes toward sexual violence and has demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties in different study populations.

Applications

The scale is primarily used in psychological, social, and behavioral research to investigate attitudes toward sexual violence, victim blaming, gender stereotypes, and rape-related beliefs. It may also be used to evaluate changes in attitudes following educational or prevention interventions.

References

Lottes, I. L. (1991). Belief systems: Sexuality and rape. Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality, 4(1–2), 37–59.

Alladio, Y., Morán, V., & Olaz, F. (2017). Argentinean validation of the Rape Supportive Attitude Scale. Revista de Psicología, 35(1), 225–255.