Japanese International Students' Attitudes toward Acquaintance Rape

Abstract

This study looked at the influence of an Asian sociocultural variable, loss of face or social integrity, as a predictor of perceptions of acquaintance rape among Japanese students. In addition to the expected associations between gender, sexism, and perceptions of rape, loss of face was predicted to interact with the perpetrator's reference group such that an aggression-enhancing reference group would reduce, and an aggression-inhibiting reference group would heighten perceptions of rape in a given scenario. Surveys were distributed to Japanese students in linguistics classes and Japanese student associations at various Midwestern universities. The results support gender differences in attitudes toward women and attitudes toward rape victims. The loss of face by reference group interaction was not a significant predictor of the participants' own victim blaming or attitudes toward rape victims, but it was a significant predictor of perception of perpetrator blame in the expected direction. Examining cultural factors may provide insight into developing preventive measures against acquaintance rape and appropriate orientations for Japanese international students. (Contains 3 tables and 10 references.) (JDM)