Attitudes Toward Rape Victims Scale – ARVS
Measures societal attitudes, beliefs, and acceptance of myths regarding victims of rape.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Attitudes Toward Rape Victims Scale – ARVS was developed by Colleen Ward (1988). It is designed to measure Attitudes toward rape victims. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 25 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Disagree strongly, 1 = Disagree mildly, 2 = Neutral (neither agree nor disagree), 3 = Agree mildly, 4 = Agree strongly.
The scale includes 8 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 100. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low acceptance of rape myths / Supportive attitudes toward victims: 0 – 34
- Moderate acceptance of rape myths: 35 – 65
- High acceptance of rape myths / Negative attitudes toward victims: 66 – 100
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of High internal consistency and cross-cultural applicability reported in original validation..
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.