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.

“When a Girl Says No, You Should Be Persistent Until She Says Yes”: College Students and Their Beliefs About Consent

2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051987555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrienne Baldwin-White
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Assault Prevention ◽  
Gender Expectations ◽  
Complex Concept ◽  
Complicating Factors ◽  
Sexual Encounters ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Vague Language ◽  
Assault Prevention

One in five college women report being sexually assaulted with 23% to 45% of men reporting attempting or completing a sexual assault while attending a university. One important concept in preventing sexual assault is consent. It is important to ensure that when students are being asked to wait for consent, they understand what consent is and the potential ways it could manifest in a sexual situation. In total, 25 female and 20 male college students participated in semistructured focus groups or interviews to gain a better understanding of their perspectives of consent and how they ensure that it has been given. Results demonstrate that college students do not have a consistent, coherent, or precise definition of consent. Participants often described consent using vague language and were only able to clearly identify verbal indicators of consent. Much of the discussion of consent centered around an individual’s ability or inability to clearly and directly communicate his or her needs. Data also show that how students communicate about consent is influenced by gender expectations. There are multiple complicating factors when determining consent, including alcohol consumption. Participants discussed not understanding how to navigate sexual encounters when one or both parties had been consuming alcohol. Results also showed that there are multiple factors that may lead women to say yes to sex they don’t want, and men to not ask for consent. For college students, consent is a complex concept—a concept they may not have a practical and useful definition of. Sexual assault prevention must take steps to provide college students with a definition of consent informed by their experiences and the reality of their sexual encounters.

College students’ alcohol expectancies and sexual assault bystander behavior

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer R Boyle
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Alcohol Expectancies ◽  
Sexual Assault Prevention ◽  
Sexual Assaults ◽  
Bystander Behavior ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Assault Prevention ◽  
College Sexual Assault ◽  
Linear Regressions

Many college sexual assault prevention efforts have focused on the bystander approach. Whilemost sexual assaults among students occur within the context of alcohol, no studies have examined theimpact of alcohol-related factors on bystander behavior. This exploratory study assessed relationshipsbetween students’ alcohol expectancies and the likelihood of intervening in a potential sexual assault.Students(n=220) completed an online survey. Linear regressions were performed. Among men, greateroverall expectancy scores(Stnd.ß=0.375,p=.008) and greater sociability scores(Stnd.ß=0.354,p=.012)were related to greater likelihood of action. Among women, greater self-perception scores were related toless likelihood of action(Stnd.ß=-0.215,p=.010). Explanations for differences between sexes are explored.

Evaluation of the Impact of a Coeducational Sexual Assault Prevention Program on College Students' Rape Myth Attitudes

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria E. Kress ◽  
J. Brad Shepherd ◽  
Renee I. Anderson ◽  
Aaron J. Petuch ◽  
James Michael Nolan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Prevention Program ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Sexual Assault Prevention ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Assault Prevention

Correlates of Incoming Male College Students’ Proclivity to Perpetrate Sexual Assault

2020 ◽  
pp. 107780122090566
Author(s):  
Jane E. Palmer ◽  
Sarah McMahon ◽  
Erica Fissel
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
White Students ◽  
Rape Myths ◽  
Public University ◽  
Sexual Assault Prevention ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Male College ◽  
Assault Prevention ◽  
Male College Students

This study examined incoming male college students’ proclivity to perpetrate sexual assault at a large public university in the Northeast ( n = 1,619). Overall, self-reported proclivity to perpetrate was low (between 20–26%). Students’ perception that a peer would intervene as a bystander was negatively associated with proclivity, while acceptance of certain rape myths was positively associated with proclivity. Students who intended to join a fraternity and White students had increased proclivity to perpetrate using force or incapacitation. Based on these findings, recommendations for sexual assault prevention efforts are included.

scholarly journals Fostering Student Activism: Barriers, Sharing, and Dialectics

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 151 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Candace Christensen ◽  
Alexis V. Arczynski
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Prevention Program ◽  
Student Activism ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sexual Assault Prevention ◽  
Prevention Intervention ◽  
Exploratory Investigation ◽  
Assault Prevention

The present study was an exploratory investigation of interviews with six college students who participated in the development and implementation of a theatre-based sexual assault prevention intervention. We investigated how these students experienced their involvement in activism within the context of developing and presenting a sexual assault prevention program. The research revealed common themes: each student experienced fears about participating in activism or identifying as an activist, had strong desires to share knowledge about sexual assault prevention with their community, and viewed their individual activist identities within a complex understanding of what it meant to be activists. These themes helped us to develop implications for future research and educational practices to support activist identity development.

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