Mitos, atribución de responsabilidad y respuesta de ayuda sobre violencia sexual

Abstract

Objective: Sexual violence is a serious public health problem, as victims suffer consequences on their physical, psychological and social well-being in the short and longterm. According to the literature, rape myths (understood as false beliefs and stereotypes about sexual aggression that are widely accepted) are a possible risk factor in this type of victimisation, as they acceptance contribute to the justification sexual violence, exculpate the perpetrator and minimise harm to victims. Method: An ex post facto study was designed in order to analyse the level of acceptance of myths towards attribution of responsibility to a rape victim (case committed by an acquaintance and case committed by a stranger) and the bystander's responses to help in situations involving sexual violence. A sample of 541 participants (82.60% female and 17.40% male), aged between 18 and 68 years (M = 25.21, SD = 9.28) was used. Results: The results showed that those people who had a higher score in myths attributed more blame to the victim and, in turn, had lower responses to help in the event of a suspected case of sexual violence. Likewise, a significant relationship between the variables under study was corroborated. Conclusions: The implications of the results obtained for intervention are discussed.