“This is My Girl”: How Men’s Desires Obscure Women’s Sexual Aggression Experiences in Public Drinking Settings

In this article, we use 198 interviews with young men and women to explore how they define and negotiate boundaries of unwanted sexual contact in public drinking settings. Men and women’s contrasting experiences reveal that in bars and nightclubs, sexual aggression against women is routine and typically involves physical threat. For men, however, consensual and nonaggressive contact can register as problematic when disruptive to men’s control of heterosexual interactions. Men’s aggression toward other men who disrupt their access to women is cause and consequence of women’s sexual aggression experiences being less visible. We contribute to sexual assault literature by illustrating how heterosexual power dynamics—specifically, disproportionate visibility and defense of men’s desires—shape tolerance of barroom sexual aggression, discourage bystander intervention, and set the stage for more serious forms of assault to occur and go unpunished.

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Campus Sexual Assault: A Systematic Review of Prevalence Research From 2000 to 2015

Trauma Violence & Abuse ◽

10.1177/1524838016631129 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 76-93 ◽

Cited By ~ 143

Author(s):

Lisa Fedina ◽

Jennifer Lynne Holmes ◽

Bethany L. Backes

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Sexual Coercion ◽

Sexual Victimization ◽

The United States ◽

Sexual Contact ◽

College Campuses ◽

Future Research ◽

Campus Sexual Assault ◽

Study Designs ◽

Unwanted Sexual Contact

Sexual assault is a pervasive problem on university and college campuses in the United States that has garnered growing national attention, particularly in the past year. This is the first study to systematically review and synthesize prevalence findings from studies on campus sexual assault (CSA) published since 2000 ( n = 34). The range of prevalence findings for specific forms of sexual victimization on college campuses (i.e., forcible rape, unwanted sexual contact, incapacitated rape, sexual coercion, and studies’ broad definitions of CSA/rape) is provided, and methodological strengths and limitations in the empirical body of research on CSA are discussed. Prevalence findings, research design, methodology, sampling techniques, and measures, including the forms of sexual victimization measured, are presented and evaluated across studies. Findings suggest that unwanted sexual contact appears to be most prevalent on college campuses, including sexual coercion, followed by incapacitated rape, and completed or attempted forcible rape. Additionally, several studies measured broad constructs of sexual assault that typically include combined forms of college-based sexual victimization (i.e., forcible completed or attempted rape, unwanted sexual contact, and/or sexual coercion). Extensive variability exists within findings for each type of sexual victimization measured, including those that broadly measure sexual assault, which is largely explained by differences in sampling strategies and overall study designs as well as measures of sexual assault used in studies. Implications for findings and recommendations for future research on the prevalence of college-based sexual victimization are provided.

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Violence Against Women and Children Following the 2011 Great East Japan Disaster: Making the Invisible Visible Through Research

Violence Against Women ◽

10.1177/1077801218802642 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 25 (7) ◽

pp. 862-881 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mieko Yoshihama ◽

Tomoko Yunomae ◽

Azumi Tsuge ◽

Keiko Ikeda ◽

Reiko Masai

Keyword(s):

Domestic Violence ◽

Sexual Assault ◽

Violence Against Women ◽

Sexual Contact ◽

Gender Based Violence ◽

Women And Children ◽

Gender Based ◽

Unwanted Sexual Contact ◽

Structured Questionnaire ◽

The Invisible

This study reports on 82 unduplicated cases of violence against women and children after the Great East Japan Disaster of March 2011. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire from informants who worked with the disaster-affected populations. In addition to domestic violence, reported cases involved sexual assault and unwanted sexual contact, including quid pro quo assault perpetrated by nonintimates. Perpetrators often exploited a sense of fear, helplessness, and powerlessness and used threats to force compliance with sexual demands in exchange for life-sustaining resources. Findings point to the urgent need to develop measures to prevent and respond to postdisaster gender-based violence.

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What Is the Attraction? Pornography Use Motives in Relation to Bystander Intervention

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260515596538 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 32 (20) ◽

pp. 3071-3089 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

John D. Foubert ◽

Ana J. Bridges

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Young Adults ◽

Sexual Assault ◽

Sexual Violence ◽

Bystander Intervention ◽

Men And Women ◽

Behavioral Variables ◽

Lower Likelihood ◽

Willingness To Intervene ◽

Pornography Use

Use of pornography is common among adolescents and young adults, with most men and a growing number of women viewing regularly. A vast body of research suggests pornography use is associated with multiple attitudinal and behavioral variables. One of those associations, for both men and women, is higher pornography use is correlated with a lower likelihood of intervening to prevent sexual assault. The present study explored how motives for viewing pornography related to male ( n = 139) and female ( n = 290) college students’ willingness and efficacy to intervene to help prevent a sexual assault from occurring. We found that several motivations to view pornography were associated with suppression of willingness to intervene as a bystander, even after controlling for frequency of pornography use. This study joins others in suggesting an association between pornography use and callousness toward sexual violence.

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Development of a Measure of Unwanted Sexual Contact in Childhood, for Use in Community Mental Health Surveys

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1990.66.2.401 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 66 (2) ◽

pp. 401-402 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Christopher Bagley

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Sexual Abuse ◽

Child Sexual Abuse ◽

Sexual Assault ◽

Community Mental Health ◽

Health Surveys ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Sexual Contact ◽

Mental Health Survey ◽

Unwanted Sexual Contact

Development of a measure of child sexual abuse, operationalized as unwanted sexual contact before age 17, is described. In a community mental health survey of 750 women aged 18 to 27 yr., 32% recalled unwanted sexual contact. 7% experienced prolonged sexual assault before age 17 and had significantly higher scores as adults on the CESD Depression scale.

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Mental Health Profiles, Suicidal Behavior, and Community Sexual Assault in 2112 Canadian Adolescents

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910.16.3.126 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 126-131 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Christopher Bagley ◽

Floyd Bolitho ◽

Lorne Bertrand

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Suicide Attempts ◽

Sexual Contact ◽

Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽

Recent Experience ◽

Sexual Assaults ◽

Clinical Profiles ◽

Males And Females ◽

Unwanted Sexual Contact

1025 females and 1087 males in grades 7-12 in Alberta high schools completed measures of emotional and behavioral problems and suicidal behaviors, and of frequency of sexual assaults outside of school. Both males and females experiencing a high number of sexual assaults in the previous 6 months were significantly more likely to have clinical profiles on measures of conduct disorder, somatic disorder, and emotional disorder. 13.2% of 53 girls with frequent, unwanted sexual contact had made more than two suicidal gestures or suicide attempts in the previous 6 months, compared with 1.3% of 783 girls with no experience of sexual assault. 33.3% of 18 boys experiencing frequent sexual assault were suicidal, compared with 0.9% of 1064 boys with no recent experience of sexual assault. These results are in line with results of other recent Canadian surveys.

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Assessing the Effects of Myths about Sexual Aggression on the Verisimilitude of a Victim-Complainant of Sexual Assault

Acción Psicológica ◽

10.5944/ap.18.1.30805 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yurena Gancedo ◽

Jéssica Sanmarco ◽

Adriana Selaya ◽

Andrea González-Dapía ◽

Mercedes Novo

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Sexual Violence ◽

Field Study ◽

Violence Against Women ◽

Sexual Aggression ◽

Men And Women ◽

Standard Of Proof ◽

Provocative Clothing

Sexual violence against women is one of the most underreported criminal offences, and has one of the lowest conviction rates. The main standard of proof is the victim’s-complainant’s testimony and the evaluation of credibility. In order to assess the effects of myths about sexual aggression on the credibility of women and their testimony, a field study was performed. The study consisted of 353 participants (235 women), aged 16 to 72 years, who evaluated the credibility of a testimony of a victim-complainant of sexual assault where the type of narrative was manipulated (neutral, provocative clothing, and alcohol consumption), and responded to a measure of the acceptance of myths about sexual aggression. The results revealed the type of narrative had no effect on the evaluation of testimonial credibility, but an effect was found in the factors gender, and myths about sexual aggression. Succinctly, men conferred less credibility to a victim’s-complainant’s testimony (i.e., less victim-complainant honesty, and testimonial credibility), whilst attributing less responsibility to the aggressor-defendant. However, both men and women equally attributed responsibility to the victim-complainant for the sexual assault. Moreover, individuals sanctioning myths about sexual aggression attributed less honesty and credibility to the victim-complainant, and their testimony, whilst attributing less responsibility to the aggressor-defendant, and more to the victim-complainant. The implications of the results on judgement-making are discussed.

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Sexual Victimization and Mental Health in Female University Students

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/08862605211005148 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 088626052110051

Author(s):

Vanessa Blanco ◽

Lara López ◽

Patricia Otero ◽

Ángela J. Torres ◽

María José Ferraces ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Sexual Assault ◽

University Students ◽

Sexual Violence ◽

Sexual Victimization ◽

Suicide Attempts ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Sexual Contact ◽

Health Concern ◽

Unwanted Sexual Contact

Although sexual assaults on female university students are a public health concern, studies that have examined this issue have not used behaviorally specific definitions of the various types of sexual victimization. Furthermore, hardly any data exists on female Spanish university students. The objectives of this study were to analyze the prevalence of different forms of sexual assault against female Spanish university students, determine the risk factors associated with sexual assault, analyze the association between sexual victimization and mental health problems, and determine the differential risk of more serious types of sexual assault. A cross-sectional study was conducted among a random sample of 871 students from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) (mean age 20.7 years, SD = 2.8). The current study assessed various types of sexual violence (i.e., unwanted sexual contact, attempted coercion, coercion, attempted rape, rape), as well as rates of depression, anxiety, stress, eating disorders, substance abuse, suicide risk, and suicide attempts. Of the female students surveyed, 28.5% had suffered some form of sexual violence during the previous year, 22.3% reported unwanted sexual contact, 8.8% attempted coercion, 6.5% coercion, 10.4% attempted rape, and 7.9% had been raped. Lower risk was associated with having a partner and being heterosexual. Being 18 years of age and prior experiences of sexual victimization were associated with higher risk. Being the victim of attempted coercion was associated with a higher risk of depression, while victims of attempted rape were at higher risk for substance use. Rape victims were at the highest risk for all mental health conditions studied, with the exception of suicide attempts. Due to the high rates at which Spanish female university students experience sexual violence, planning and resources are needed to address their mental health needs, especially those who are victims of rape.

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