A Pilot Study of the Impact of Sexist Attitudes on Male Survivors of Rape

The trauma literature strongly points to the role of cognitive mechanisms, particularly maladaptive beliefs, in posttrauma functioning. The present pilot study considered whether sexist attitudes are related to postrape psychopathology among college men. A sample of 16 male college students who reported being survivors of rape completed measures of sexual victimization, sexism, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Linear regression revealed that greater self-reported hostile sexism was associated with significantly greater levels of PTSS and greater benevolent sexism was associated with significantly lower levels of PTSS. The current pilot study provides preliminary evidence that sexist attitudes are important influences in terms of psychopathology among male rape survivors. These findings should guide future research and, if replicated, could inform clinicians during assessment and treatment planning.