Negative Responses to Child Sexual Abuse: A Manifestation of Intolerance

Abstract

Recently, there has been an increased societal focus on the boundaries of sexual behaviours. During a time when victims and survivors of unwanted sexual experiences are encouraged to come forward, it is vital to understand what makes people respond negatively to such disclosures. This study aimed to examine how endorsement of stereotypical ideas of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) and response to CSA disclosures are related to various forms of attitudinal intolerance (i.e., racism, sexism and sexual prejudice). We used a survey and vignette methodology with a sample (N = 160) of undergraduate students. Results indicated that endorsement of CSA myths was positively related to all other variables of attitudinal intolerance. With regards to a response to a CSA disclosure, belief in the disclosure decreased as attitudinal intolerance increased. Similar to rape myth endorsement, endorsement of CSA myths may represent another form of intolerance, which only partially translates into a negative response to a CSA disclosure. Implications for intervention are discussed.