The association between gender role attitudes, rape myth acceptance and dating sexual violence: Different mechanisms among Chinese college students of different sexual orientations

Dating sexual violence (DSV) is a serious social problem among college students worldwide. This study examines the effects of gender role attitudes (GRA) in DSV and the mediating role of rape myth acceptance (RMA) among students of different sexual orientations in China. A total of 2134 Chinese college students (553 men and 1581 women, 1751 heterosexuals and 383 sexually diverse groups) participated in this study. We found that sexually diverse men have the highest DSV perpetration (47.13%) and victimization rates (40.23%) and that sexually diverse women have the most equal gender attitudes. RMA is identified as a mediator of the relationship between GRA and DSV perpetration and victimization among heterosexuals, but not among sexually diverse groups. The need for more sexually inclusive educational interventions to decrease DSV on college campuses is discussed.