FACTOR STRUCTURE OF THE UPDATED ILLINOIS RAPE MYTH ACCEPTANCE SCALE IN THE INDIAN CONTEXT

Abstract

This study explores the factor structure and the other psychometric properties of the updated Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (IRMAS), in the Indian context. The sample was collected from 429 college and university students in the state of Tripura in India. All the items in the original scale were retained and five major factors were revealed by Principal Component Analysis. The model was deemed to be a good fit by the estimates of Confirmatory Factor Analysis. All the five factors derived were found to be reliable. The divergent validity of the study was verified; however, the convergent validity was ascribed from the high composite reliability of the factors. Different other measures like item-total, inter-item correlation strengthened the foundation of reliability and validity of the scale. The full scale was found to possess satisfactory reliability. The gender difference in the total test scores was assessed and found to be significant. The other details are discussed herein.