Dating and Acquaintance Rape Scales

Abstract

The Dating and Acquaintance Rape Scales (DARS) are a set of psychometrically validated measures designed to assess various psychological factors related to the risk and perception of acquaintance rape and dating violence, primarily within university settings. Developed by Walsh, DeVellis, and DeVellis (1997), the instrument is structured around four core subscales: Perceived Vulnerability, Self-Efficacy, Self-Determination, and Victim-Blaming. These scales are crucial for researchers and practitioners aiming to understand the cognitive and behavioral factors that contribute to sexual assault prevention and intervention efforts among young adults.

Keywords

Dating violence, acquaintance rape, sexual assault, self-efficacy, perceived vulnerability, attitudes, victim-blaming, self-determination, college students, psychological scales.

Authors

Walsh, J. F., DeVellis, B. M., DeVellis, R. F.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Dating and Acquaintance Rape Scales is the systematic measurement of specific psychological variables hypothesized to be related to the experience or avoidance of date and acquaintance rape. The scales were developed to provide a reliable and valid tool for assessing factors that influence women’s responses to potentially dangerous situations, their perceptions of risk, and their attitudes regarding sexual violence responsibility.

By quantifying these constructs, the DARS enables researchers to evaluate the effectiveness of educational interventions aimed at reducing sexual assault risk. It provides a means to assess both protective factors, such as personal assertiveness and the ability to set boundaries, and harmful attitudes, such as those that shift blame onto victims.

Construct

The DARS measures a comprehensive construct related to sexual assault risk and attitudes, divided into four distinct subscales:

• Perceived Vulnerability: Measures the individual’s subjective assessment of her personal risk of experiencing acquaintance or date rape. Higher scores indicate a greater perceived likelihood of being targeted.
• Self-Efficacy: Assesses the individual’s confidence in her ability to effectively manage and escape dangerous or uncomfortable social and sexual situations, including setting clear boundaries and utilizing self-defense techniques.
• Self-Determination: Measures the extent to which an individual prioritizes her own well-being and autonomy in relationships, demonstrating assertiveness and a rejection of abusive dynamics or expectations of sexual entitlement from partners.
• Victim-Blaming: Measures attitudes that hold the victim responsible for the assault, often by citing behavior (such as drinking or dressing provocatively) as justification or by minimizing the severity of the assault itself.

Validity

The original validation study by Walsh, DeVellis, and DeVellis (1997) established the content and construct validity of the four scales. Content validity was ensured through a rigorous item generation and refinement process. Construct validity was supported by demonstrating that the scales correlated in theoretically predictable ways with other established measures of related constructs, such as general assertiveness and rape myth acceptance.

The study confirmed that the four subscales are distinct yet related dimensions of the overall construct, suggesting that DARS accurately captures different psychological facets contributing to the dynamics of dating and acquaintance rape.

Reliability

The DARS demonstrated strong internal consistency reliability during its development. Although specific Cronbach’s alpha coefficients are not provided in the excerpt, the original 1997 publication reports acceptable to high reliability estimates for each of the four subscales, confirming that the items within each scale measure a cohesive underlying construct. The stability of the measures over time (test-retest reliability) was also typically assessed and found to be adequate for research purposes.

Factor Analysis

The development of the DARS involved factor analytic techniques to ensure that the 25 items loaded cleanly onto the four hypothesized factors: Perceived Vulnerability, Self-Efficacy, Self-Determination, and Victim-Blaming. The results of the factor analysis supported the four-factor structure, indicating that the scales are empirically distinct and measure separate dimensions of attitudes and behaviors related to sexual assault risk. This structural validity ensures that each subscale can be used independently or in combination to assess the relevant psychological domains.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Attitudinal and Behavioral Scale

Format: Six-point Likert scale, ranging from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree.

Language Available: English (Original development language).

Population Group: Female students/Young adults.

Age Group: Typically 18-25 years (Undergraduate population).

Population Details: The scale was validated using undergraduate women enrolled in educational institutions, focusing on their experiences and perceptions within the dating environment.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with 25 statements across four dimensions. Items preceded by (R) are reverse-coded for scoring.

Keywords

Sexual violence prevention, dating attitudes, assertiveness, self-defense, psychological assessment, scale development, Likert scale, college mental health.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The original publication year for the Dating and Acquaintance Rape Scales is 1997. Information regarding specific fees or permissions for academic use should be sought directly from the primary author (Walsh, J. F.) or the journal publisher (SAGE Publications, Violence Against Women).

This instrument is publicly accessible as part of a compilation of measures focused on violence against women. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://www.svri.org/measures.pdf

Reference’s

Walsh, J. F., DeVellis, B. M., & DeVellis, R. F. (1997). Date and acquaintance rape: Development and validation of a set of scales. Violence Against Women, 3(1), 46-58.

Flood, M. (Compiler). Measures for the assessment of dimensions of violence against women: A compendium. Available online at: http://www.svri.org/measures.pdf

Items of the Dating and Acquaintance Rape Scales

Reverse-coded items are preceded by (R). Response options are Strongly agree, moderately agree, mildly agree, mildly disagree, moderately disagree, and strongly disagree.

Perceived Vulnerability (5)

1. Rape among dates and acquaintances is a major problem here at (name of educational institution).
2. (R) Only a few undergraduate women will have to deal with a rape attempt by a date or acquaintance during their four years here at (name of institution).
3. I personally stand a good chance of ha‎ving to deal with a rape attempt by a date or an acquaintance sometime during my years here at (name of institution).
4. (R) The possibility of being raped by my date is the last thing on my mind when I’m out ha‎ving a good time.
5. (R) I never worry about going home alone with a date.

Self-Efficacy (8)

1. If I sense anything about a man that makes me uncomfortable‚ I’m able to avoid being alone with him.
2. (R) I can’t seem to make it dear to men that they need to respect my personal space.
3. (R) It’s very hard for me to tell a date what I do or do not want to do sexually.
4. (R) If a date refused to stop after I told him to‚ I wouldn’t know what I could do to make him stop.
5. I know a number of basic self-defense techniques that I would be able to use if anyone tried to rape me.
6. (R) When I am alone with a man I don’t know well‚ I sometimes feel afraid of him‚ but I can’t do anything about it.
7. (R) If I heard a woman yelling or screaming in another dorm room‚ I wouldn’t know what I could do.
8. (R) Sometimes men I know make me feel uneasy‚ but I ignore my fears so I can stay on good terms with them.

Self-Determination (7)

1. I will take care of myself first and others second‚ including men.
2. If a man doesn’t treat me well‚ I can do very nicely without him in my life.
3. I would rather have very few relationships in my life than a lot; if ha‎ving a lot means that some of them are abusive.
4. If any man thinks he can make me have sex with him‚ he’s going to learn a painful lesson.
5. I get furious when a man acts as if he has the right to expect sex from me.
6. Women who dress to look their best for a date are not necessarily indicating that they want sex.
7. If a man doesn’t stop when a woman says no‚ it’s rape.

Victim-Blaming (5)

1. Women who get drunk at a party or on a date deserve whatever happens to them.
2. (R) It is never a woman’s fault if she is raped.
3. It’s up to a woman to make sure she doesn’t get a man aroused if she doesn’t want him to force her to have intercourse.
4. Women often accuse men of rape because they are angry with the men for some other reason.
5. Most of what is labeled rape is just the woman changing her mind later.