Undergraduate Students’ Definitions of Sexual Violence Labels Across the Rise of the #MeToo Movement

Abstract

Examining changes in perspectives of sexual violence across the #MeToo movement is critical to understanding shifts in sociocultural contexts of sexual violence; yet the literature is still nascent. In the present study, we assessed variation across the #MeToo movement in undergraduate students’ ( N = 1,028) rape myth acceptance, sexual violence experiences, identification of experiences with sexual violence labels, and self-generated definitions of sexual violence labels (e.g., sexual assault). We also examined the mediating role of the relation between timepoint across #MeToo and students’ self-generated sexual violence definitions. Text analyses revealed seven themes in students’ definitions: Activity, Chronicity, Body, Contact, Gender, Force/Harm, and Consent. Notably, there was greater representation and a higher rate of change in the Contact theme in definitions following the #MeToo movement compared to pre-#MeToo, but only among students with sexual violence history. Rape myth acceptance did not change significantly across the #MeToo movement and did not demonstrate a significant role in time-related variability in students’ definitions. These findings provide support for the role of the #MeToo movement in facilitating more inclusive perceptions of sexual violence among undergraduate students, especially among those with sexual violence histories. We hope that with increased insight into the #MeToo movement's impact on sexual violence perspectives, continued efforts of the movement and prevention initiatives can broaden their reach.