Abstract

The present study aims to validate the Acceptance of Modern Myths About Sexual Aggression Scale–21 (AMMSA-21) for use in the Korean context. The AMMSA-21 was developed to measure the degree of acceptance of modern myths about sexual aggression, including sexual harassment, sexual bullying, and sexual violence within intimate relationships. In this study, the AMMSA-21 was translated to suit the Korean context, and a generalized partial credit model, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), measurement invariance testing, and convergent validity analysis were conducted on 605 Korean adult men and women aged 19 years or older. First, the generalized partial credit model was used to examine the difficulty and discrimination parameters of 50 items, including the 29 preliminary items employed during the development of the original scale. Second, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) were conducted to derive a factor structure appropriate for the domestic situation, and as a result, 24 items consisting of three factor structures (myths about victim distrust, distorted myths about of sexual consent, and myths about justification of sexual aggression) were selected. Third, the results of the measurement invariance test indicated that configural invariance and weak invariance were established, but strong invariance was not supported. Fourth, convergent validity and correlations with a criterion measure were analyzed, confirming that the AMMSA-21 scale adequately reflects beliefs and characteristics related to sexual aggression. By establishing the reliability and validity of the AMMSA-21, this study provides foundational data that may inform sexual violence prevention and intervention strategies.