A Descriptive Analysis of College Students’ Experiences of Female-Perpetrated Sexual Assault

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 520-538
Author(s):  
Gianna Gambardella ◽  
Madeline Benz ◽  
Denise A. Hines ◽  
Kathleen M. Palm Reed
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Male Perpetrators ◽  
Female Perpetrators ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Assault Victims ◽  
Experienced Female

The current study sought to explore the experiences of college students who have experienced female-perpetrated sexual assault, and to compare their experiences to those of students assaulted by male perpetrators. A total of 11,165 college students across 11 years completed an online, anonymous survey measuring self-reports of sexual violence, context surrounding their victimization, help-seeking, and well-being. Of the students surveyed, 531 students reported experiencing sexual assault and identified both their own gender and the gender of their perpetrator, and 14% reported having experienced female-perpetrated sexual assault. Victims of female perpetrators were more likely to report their perpetrator being an (ex)intimate partner and less likely to be a stranger. Victims of female perpetrators were also more likely to report that their victimization involved their own drug use. Overall, victims of female-perpetrated sexual assault were less likely to tell anyone about their victimization, or to report to on- or off-campus resources. Finally, our findings suggest that victims of female perpetrators have comparable well-being to victims of male perpetrators. These finding contribute to the overall understanding of female-perpetrated sexual assault.

Cold or Caring? Adolescent Sexual Assault Victims’ Perceptions of Their Interactions With the Police

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 636-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan R. Greeson ◽  
Rebecca Campbell ◽  
Giannina Fehler-Cabral
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Assault Victims ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Adolescent Victims

One-third of sexual assault cases that are reported to the police involve adolescent victims (Snyder, 2000), yet little is known about adolescent victims’ interactions with law enforcement. Through semistructured interviews with 20 adolescent sexual assault victims, this study sought to understand—from the perspectives of the adolescents—how the police interacted with them on an interpersonal level and the impact this had on the adolescents’ emotional well-being and engagement in the criminal justice system. Findings revealed that when the police engaged in behaviors that the victims perceived as caring, compassionate, and personable (vs. behaviors that were perceived as uncaring, insensitive, and intimidating), there was a positive impact on victims’ emotional well-being and criminal justice system engagement. Implications for improving adolescents’ help-seeking experiences are discussed.

Making the Call: College Students’ Legal Consciousness and Hypothetical Activation of Police for Sexual Assaults

2021 ◽  
pp. 107780122110211
Author(s):  
Trish Oberweis ◽  
Dayna Henry ◽  
Stacey Griner ◽  
Ekaterina Gorislavsky
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Contact ◽  
Legal Consciousness ◽  
Sexual Assault Prevention ◽  
Sexual Assaults ◽  
Assault Victims ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Willingness To Report ◽  
Assault Prevention

Research has identified the necessity of sexual assault victims to label their experience as criminal to initiate reporting. However, barriers exist in labeling uninvited sexual contact as criminal. This study examined college students’ assessments of whether eight nonconsensual behaviors met the legal definition of sexual assault, and whether such behaviors should be reported to police. Results indicated students acknowledged the nonconsensual behaviors as criminal; however, gaps were identified between awareness that the acts were criminal and willingness to report to police. Findings demonstrate a need for continued efforts for sexual assault prevention among college students.

What victims tell us about their sexual assault offenders: age, sex, victim-offender relationships, and type of threats (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali AL-Asadi
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Assaults ◽  
Male Victims ◽  
Physical Force ◽  
Female Ratio ◽  
Female Victims ◽  
Female Perpetrators ◽  
Assault Victims ◽  
Sexually Offended ◽  
Male To Female

BACKGROUND Sexual assault perpetrated mostly by males against mostly females is a serious crime that seems to remain relatively stable when other crimes have significantly declined. Many factors are involved in sexual assaults. Undertaking these factors and their relationships with one another is essential to designing and providing more efficient and empirically-based preventative and intervention programs. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine and analyze what victims of one sexual assault who sought therapy tell us about their sex, age at which they were assaulted, the sex and age of the perpetrator, the relationship with the perpetrator, and the type of threats used to gain their compliance. METHODS Therapists at eight sexual assault centers around the province of Alberta, Canada, completed a questionnaire on each of their clients over seven years. A total of 1525 participants, of which 1417 (92.92%) were female, and 108 (7.08%) were male victims of one sexual assault, were included in this study. Descriptive analyses were carried out on the six variables of concern in this study. RESULTS Female victims sought therapy by a ratio of 13:1 relative to male victims of one sexual assault. Victims seeking therapy reported that they were sexually assaulted by 1492 male and 33 female perpetrators, a 45:1 male to female ratio. Most female perpetrators (42.2%) were aged 30 years and older, followed by 39.4% aged 1-17 years. Most male perpetrators (46.2%) were aged 18-29 years, followed by 30.6% aged 30 and older. Perpetrators sexually offended mostly against their aged counterpart victims except for those aged 30 and older, who were involved in more cases of one sexual assault against a person in every age group. Over 90% of assaults were committed by a person known to the victim—acquaintances, friends, and dates comprised over 50%, and strangers 12.9% of cases. At 51.5%, physical force was the most common type of threat used by all perpetrators, followed by drugs and alcohol (13.2%), bribes and promises (11.5%), using weapons or threats of a weapon (9.2%). CONCLUSIONS Female victims of sexual assault seek help more readily than males. The majority of victims of sexual assault are females, whereas the overwhelming majority of perpetrators are males. In addition, perpetrators of sexual assaults are mostly known to the victims and have some relationship. Finally, physical force is the threat used most often to gain victims' compliance.

Occupational Well-Being in Sexual Assault Victims and Survivors

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-185
Author(s):  
Pamela Wadsworth ◽  
J. A. Eve Krahe ◽  
Elissa Allen
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Barriers And Facilitators ◽  
Constructivist Grounded Theory ◽  
Gendered Violence ◽  
Sexual Assault Survivors ◽  
Grounded Theory Method ◽  
Assault Victims ◽  
Bullying Programs ◽  
Assault Survivors

Purpose: While researchers have established that sexual assault may adversely affect successful employment and academic achievement, little is known about the barriers and facilitators of occupational well-being from the perspective of sexual assault survivors. This study assessed the barriers and facilitators of occupational well-being. Design: Constructivist grounded theory. Method: Digitally recorded, semistructured interviews were used to collect data. Data were collected from 22 adult female sexual assault survivors. Analysis consisted of coding, creation of data matrices, and within and across case analysis. Findings: Theoretical saturation was achieved after interviews with 22 participants. Barriers to occupational well-being were mental health symptoms and diagnoses, substance abuse, inflexible attendance policies, and workplace bullying. Facilitators to occupational well-being were personal coping strategies, and organizational and social support. Conclusions: Sexual assault has significant effects on the occupational well-being of women. The work or academic environment can exacerbate the harms of sexual assault or facilitate healing in sexual assault survivors. To facilitate the occupational well-being of sexual assault survivors, workplaces and academic institutions can adopt a trauma-informed approach, create policies that allow for time off to deal with sequela of sexual assault, implement anti-bullying programs, and make resources for gendered violence available.

An Analysis of Help-Seeking Patterns Among College Student Victims of Sexual Assault, Dating Violence, and Stalking

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (23-24) ◽  
pp. 5311-5335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Ameral ◽  
Kathleen M. Palm Reed ◽  
Denise A. Hines
Keyword(s):  
College Student ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Dating Violence ◽  
Interpersonal Violence ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Health Belief ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Student Sample ◽  
College Student Sample ◽  
Belief Model

Despite the negative outcomes associated with sexual assault (SA), dating violence (DV), and stalking victimization, many victims, particularly college students, do not seek help for these crimes. To date, the majority of help-seeking research has focused on one form of victimization, despite substantial evidence that many victims experience more than one form of interpersonal violence. In addition to consideration of such polyvictims, intervention efforts to increase help-seeking to improve victim outcomes may benefit from a clearer understanding of overlapping predictors of help-seeking across victimization types. Using the health belief model (HBM) as a guiding framework, the current study examined predictors of help-seeking for SA, DV, and stalking in a college student sample. Data were collected via a multiyear anonymous email survey of general health and well-being. Demographic predictors of help-seeking and severity indicators informed by the HBM were evaluated across violence types. In addition to replicating previous work, results provided support for the HBM, such that a number of severity indicators, particularly those representing overlap across victimization types, predicted help-seeking at the multivariate level. Results also provide new evidence for overlap of barriers to help-seeking across violence types, with victim’s belief that the incident was not serious enough the most commonly reported reason for not seeking help across all three types of victimization. This overlap may provide opportunities for consolidating prevention and intervention efforts across victimization types.

scholarly journals The Effects of Stigma on Determinants of Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Male College Students: An Application of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1286-1296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita DiGioacchino DeBate ◽  
Amy Gatto ◽  
Gregor Rafal
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Well Being ◽  
College Campuses ◽  
Behavioral Skills ◽  
Help Seeking Behaviors ◽  
Male College ◽  
Mental Well Being

Considered a public health issue, the prevalence and severity of poor mental well-being on college campuses has continued to rise. While many college campuses offer mental health counseling services, and utilization rates are increasing, their proportional usage is low especially among males, who often deal with poor mental well-being by adopting unhealthy coping strategies. The purpose of this study was to use the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model to assess the relationship between the determinants as factors that may impact help-seeking behaviors in a large sample ( n = 1,242) of male college students. Employing a cross-sectional study design, a 71-item online survey assessed information via total mental health literacy (MHL), motivation via attitudes toward mental health and subjective norms regarding mental health, and behavioral skills via intentions regarding help-seeking behaviors, and stigma. Results revealed correlations between information and motivation ( r = .363, p < .01), information and behavioral skills ( r = .166, p < .01), and motivation and behavioral skills ( r = .399, p < .01). Multiple regression was used to determine stigma is a mediator for all relationships. These findings represent an opportunity to take a public health approach to male mental health through developing multilayered interventions that address information, motivation, behavioral skills, and stigma.

scholarly journals Factor Analysis of the Administrator-Research Campus Climate Collaborative (ARC3) Survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 54S-69S
Author(s):  
Donna Scott Tilley ◽  
Wanyi Wang ◽  
Ann Kolodetsky ◽  
Paul Yeatts
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Harassment ◽  
Dating Violence ◽  
Title Ix ◽  
Campus Climate ◽  
Sexual Misconduct ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States

Sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, and sexual harassment present serious challenges to the health and well-being of college students across the United States. An estimated one in five female college students is sexually assaulted during college. Under the federal protection of Title IX, institutions of higher education are responsible for addressing sexual harassment and sexual misconduct as forms of discrimination, thus campus climate surveys are increasingly being conducted in campus settings to examine student beliefs and experiences about sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, sexual harassment, and related campus prevention and response efforts. The Administrator-Researcher Campus Climate Collaborative (ARC3) Campus Climate Survey was designed to assess a range of Title IX violations that include sexual harassment, dating violence, and sexual misconduct victimization and perpetration. This article used a sample of students drawn from seven universities to assess the psychometric properties of the ARC3 survey. Specifically, factor analysis (exploratory and confirmatory) was used to examine the factor structure of each module of the ARC3 survey. Results indicated that the majority of modules within the ARC3 survey were valid and reliable. Recommendations are provided for university administration to utilize a scorecard approach in order to get a brief but comprehensive view of campus safety status.

A Preliminary Examination of Negative Life Events and Sexual Assault Victimization as Predictors of Psychological Functioning in Female College Students: Does One Matter More Than the Other?

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (21-22) ◽  
pp. 5085-5106
Author(s):  
Edward C. Chang ◽  
Jerin Lee ◽  
Lily E. Morris ◽  
Abigael G. Lucas ◽  
Olivia D. Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Psychological Functioning ◽  
Negative Life Events ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Female College Students ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Female College ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

The present study examined negative life events (NLEs) and sexual assault victimization as predictors of positive and negative psychological functioning in a sample of 151 female college students. Results obtained from conducting regression analyses indicated several notable patterns. NLEs, compared with sexual assault victimization, were a stronger negative predictor of positive functioning based on indices related to subjective well-being (e.g., life satisfaction, positive affect). Alternatively, sexual assault victimization, compared with NLEs, was a stronger positive predictor of negative functioning based on indices related to posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (e.g., anxiety) and related conditions (e.g., alcohol use). Furthermore, both NLEs and sexual assault victimization were found to be positive predictors of negative functioning based on indices related to suicide risk (e.g., depressive symptoms, suicidal behaviors). Overall, our findings indicate that both NLEs and sexual assault victimization represent important and distinct predictors of psychological functioning in female college students.

scholarly journals Rape Myth Acceptance Among College Students in the United States, Japan, and India

SAGE Open ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401667501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Stephens ◽  
Akiko Kamimura ◽  
Niwako Yamawaki ◽  
Haimanti Bhattacharya ◽  
Wenjing Mo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
College Students ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Myth Acceptance

Rape myth acceptance is an important determinant of sexual assault behaviors. This study explored country and gender differences in rape myth acceptance among undergraduate students in the United States, Japan, and India. Male and female college students ( N = 637) in these three countries participated in a self-administered survey in the fall of 2012 (the United States, n = 206; Japan, n = 215; and India, n = 216). The order of the countries arranged in increasing order of likelihood of disbelieving rape claim was as follows: the United States, Japan, and India. U.S. and Japanese students were less likely to disbelieve rape claims ( p < .01) while U.S. students also were less likely to believe that victims are responsible for rape ( p < .01). Overall, female participants were less likely to believe in the rape myth acceptance, disbelief of rape claim and victims are responsible for rape ( p < .05). Acceptance of rape myth also varied by whether a participant knew about an organization or who do not believe they would seek help for sexual assault. Non-help seeking is associated with rape myth acceptance. This study, which used the same survey and data collection methods, provides comparative information on rape myth acceptance among college students in the United States, Japan, and India, which is not otherwise available, and contributes to providing fundamental knowledge to develop country-specific prevention programs.

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