Measurement Invariance of the Sexual Assault Script Scale (SASS): An Examination Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White College Women

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052098549
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Yeater ◽  
Kristen N. Vitek ◽  
Ryan S. Ross ◽  
Meredith Blackwell ◽  
Katie Witkiewitz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
College Women ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
The United States ◽  
Bisexual Women ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Hispanic White ◽  
White College

Rates of sexual victimization have remained steady over several decades, and preventative interventions to reduce men’s sexually aggressive behavior have been largely ineffective. As such, research has endeavored to find novel approaches to identify women at increased risk for sexual victimization. Sexual assault scripts, or “cognitive models” that women adhere to that guide their beliefs about sexual assault are posited to influence their victimization risk. Prior studies on sexual assault scripts primarily have been qualitative in nature; however, recent work yielded a 27-item measure of putative risk for sexual victimization called the Sexual Assault Script Scale (SASS). The SASS has four subscales called Stereotypical Assault Scripts, Acquaintance Assault Scripts, Assault Resistance Scripts, and Date/Friend Assault Scripts, which were found in prior work to be internally consistent and associated with putative risk factors for sexual victimization. The focus of the current study was to test the measurement invariance of the SASS among Hispanic and non-Hispanic White college women who were recruited in the prior study. Four hundred sixty-nine ( N = 469) Hispanic and 415 non-Hispanic White US undergraduate heterosexual or bisexual women from a Southwestern university in the United States completed the SASS. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) replicated the prior four-factor model with an acceptable fit to the data, and tests of measurement invariance revealed the SASS to be invariant across Hispanic and non-Hispanic White college women, suggesting that the SASS is measuring a similar construct in these groups.

scholarly journals Emotional Responses to a Sexual Assault Threat: A Qualitative Analysis Among Women With Histories of Sexual Victimization

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin E. Silver ◽  
RaeAnn Elizabeth Anderson ◽  
Amanda M. Brouwer
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
College Women ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Clinical Intervention ◽  
The United States ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Emotional Dysregulation ◽  
Sexual Revictimization ◽  
Self Blame

Sexual assaults against women are a leading threat to human rights and public health in the United States. Considering the high rates of sexual revictimization among women and the limited understanding of the mechanisms which fuel this phenomenon, the goal of the present study was to investigate the role of emotion in coping with a hypothetical threat of sexual assault for previously sexually victimized college women. A total of 114 college women with a history of sexual victimization listened to an audio-recording describing a sexual assault scenario and then described how they felt. A qualitative analysis paradigm was used to capture participants’ responses in an open-ended, real-time, experiential manner. Data were analyzed using Consensual Qualitative Research—Modified methodology. Four main themes emerged (Negative Reactions, Indifferent Evaluations, Active Responses, and Cognitive Appraisal of the Situation), along with various subcategories, demonstrating the variability of women’s responses to a sexual assault threat. Many women experienced uncomfortable or distressing emotional reactions to the vignette, primarily through discomfort, but also through anger, anxiety, and being upset. Few women reported experiencing fear, and a small number reported experiencing self-blame. The low endorsement of fear and anger in our high-risk sample indicates emotional dysregulation as a potential mechanism of repeated sexual victimization and a promising target for clinical intervention. Overall, results may inform sexual assault risk reduction efforts and the empowerment of women who have experienced sexual victimization.

scholarly journals Emotional Responses to a Sexual Assault Threat: A Qualitative Analysis Among Women With Histories of Sexual Victimization

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052090801
Author(s):  
Kristin E. Silver ◽  
RaeAnn E. Anderson ◽  
Amanda M. Brouwer
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
College Women ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Clinical Intervention ◽  
The United States ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Emotional Dysregulation ◽  
Sexual Revictimization ◽  
Self Blame

Sexual assaults against women are a leading threat to human rights and public health in the United States. Considering the high rates of sexual revictimization among women and the limited understanding of the mechanisms which fuel this phenomenon, the goal of the present study was to investigate the role of emotion in coping with a hypothetical threat of sexual assault for previously sexually victimized college women. A total of 114 college women with a history of sexual victimization listened to an audio-recording describing a sexual assault scenario and then described how they felt. A qualitative analysis paradigm was used to capture participants’ responses in an open-ended, real-time, experiential manner. Data were analyzed using Consensual Qualitative Research—Modified methodology. Four main themes emerged ( Negative Reactions, Indifferent Evaluations, Active Responses, and Cognitive Appraisal of the Situation), along with various subcategories, demonstrating the variability of women’s responses to a sexual assault threat. Many women experienced uncomfortable or distressing emotional reactions to the vignette, primarily through discomfort, but also through anger, anxiety, and being upset. Few women reported experiencing fear, and a small number reported experiencing self-blame. The low endorsement of fear and anger in our high-risk sample indicates emotional dysregulation as a potential mechanism of repeated sexual victimization and a promising target for clinical intervention. Overall, results may inform sexual assault risk reduction efforts and the empowerment of women who have experienced sexual victimization.

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

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-93 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Ethical Assessment of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Guidelines in Sexual Assault Patients Suspected of Hepatitis B Viral Infection

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 29-37
Author(s):  
Jimmy Mond ◽  
Jeffrey Gruenglas
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Hepatitis B ◽  
The United States ◽  
Homeless Persons ◽  
Treatment Modalities ◽  
Post Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Ethical Assessment ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis

More than 400,000 sexual assaults are reported annually in the United States in females and males above the age of 12. Victims are likely to include members of vulnerable populations such as the disabled, homeless persons, and immigrants. Victims of such assaults are at heightened risk of contracting the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) from their assailant. Unfortunately, approximately two-thirds of people with chronic HBV are unaware of their own status, exposing for victims the risk viral transmission, disease-related cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Victims are also at increased risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although immediate vaccination of the assaulted victim is recommended, protective levels of antibody are not present for fourteen days post vaccination. Complementary treatment with a Hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG), however, may provide immediate protective serum concentrations. Prompt prophylactic therapeutic intervention may not only protect patients from risk of infection but may also prevent the effects of PTSD by providing victims with psychological and emotional benefit. Yet, existing Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) recommendations for suspected HBV infection in sexual assault patients recommend initiating immunoprophylaxis only in cases where the perpetrator’s HBsAg status is known, a guideline that perpetuates inequities and injustice for those equally subject to the harms of sexual assault. This paper presents an ethical assessment of prophylactic treatment for sexual assault patients suspected of HBV exposure. In the absence of equitable guidelines, we argue for the clinician’s duty to rescue sexually assaulted patients from future harm and to protect the public through mitigation of transmission using currently available and evidence-based treatment modalities. The paper concludes with an ethical foundation to advocate for modification of current guidelines in view of existing prophylactic regimens.

scholarly journals The development of the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder Scale (CSBD-19): An ICD-11 based screening measure across three languages

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beáta Bőthe ◽  
Marc N. Potenza ◽  
Mark D. Griffiths ◽  
Shane W. Kraus ◽  
Verena Klein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Behavior ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Five Factor Model ◽  
Behavior Disorder ◽  
The United States ◽  
Compulsive Sexual Behavior ◽  
Negative Consequences

AbstractBackgroundCompulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CSBD) is included in the eleventh edition of The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as an impulse-control disorder.AimsThe aim of the present work was to develop a scale (Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder Scale–CSBD-19) that can reliably and validly assess CSBD based on ICD-11 diagnostic guidelines.MethodFour independent samples of 9,325 individuals completed self-reported measures from three countries (the United States, Hungary, and Germany). The psychometric properties of the CSBD-19 were examined in terms of factor structure, reliability, measurement invariance, and theoretically relevant correlates. A potential threshold was determined to identify individuals with an elevated risk of CSBD.ResultsThe five-factor model of the CSBD-19 (i.e., control, salience, relapse, dissatisfaction, and negative consequences) had an excellent fit to the data and demonstrated appropriate associations with the correlates. Measurement invariance suggested that the CSBD-19 functions similarly across languages. Men had higher means than women. A score of 50 points was found as an optimal threshold to identify individuals at high-risk of CSBD.ConclusionsThe CSBD-19 is a short, valid, and reliable measure of potential CSBD based on ICD-11 diagnostic guidelines. Its use in large-scale, cross-cultural studies may promote the identification and understanding of individuals with a high risk of CSBD.

Sexual Re-Assault among College Women Differs Based on Sexual Refusal Assertiveness and Assertive Resistance Strategy Intentions

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110286
Author(s):  
Daniel W. Oesterle ◽  
Amber M. Jarnecke ◽  
Amanda K. Gilmore
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
College Women ◽  
The United States ◽  
College Campuses ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Northwestern Region ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Common Problems ◽  
Sexual Refusal ◽  
Insight Into

Sexual assault and sexual re-assault are common problems on college campuses for women, and experiencing an initial assault dramatically increases risk for experiencing sexual re-assault. Low use of sexual refusal assertiveness and assertive resistance strategy intentions has been found to predict initial victimization, yet few studies to date look collectively at the associations of sexual refusal assertiveness and assertive resistance strategy intentions to sexual re-assault. The current study examined both sexual refusal assertiveness and assertive resistance strategy intentions as potential moderators of sexual re-assault among college women. It was hypothesized that the association between sexual assault severity before college and sexual assault severity since college would be stronger among those with low sexual refusal assertiveness compared to those with high sexual refusal assertiveness (Hypothesis 1). it was also hypothesized that the association between sexual assault severity before college and sexual assault severity since college would be stronger among those who endorsed assertive resistance strategy intentions (Hypothesis 2). Participants (N = 623) included college women at a large, public university within the northwestern region of the United States, who completed a web-based survey. Results revealed that the association between sexual assault severity before college and sexual assault severity since college was significant among those with lower levels of sexual refusal assertiveness (t = 91.42, p < 0 .001). Results also revealed that the association between sexual assault severity before college and sexual assault severity since college was stronger among those who endorsed non-assertive resistance strategy intentions to a potential sexual assault scenario (t = 25.09, p < 0.001). These findings provide insight into risk for sexual re-assault, wherein risk reduction programmatic efforts may be targeted towards women entering college with a sexual assault history to increase their use of sexual refusal assertiveness and assertive resistance strategy intentions.

Self-Reports of Spousal Violence in a Mexican-American and Non-Hispanic White Population

1991 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan B. Sorenson ◽  
Cynthia A. Telles
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Mexican Americans ◽  
Mexican American ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spousal Violence ◽  
Mexican American Women ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Hispanic White

As part of a survey of Los Angeles households, 1,243 Mexican Americans and 1,149 non-Hispanic whites were surveyed about their experiences of spousal violence. Questions to assess violence included both perpetration (whether they had been physically violent toward a partner) and victimization (whether they had been the victim of sexual assault by a partner). Over one-fifth (21.2%) of the respondents indicated that they had, at one or more times in their lives, hit or thrown things at their current or former spouse or partner. Spousal violence rates for Mexican Americans born in Mexico and non-Hispanic whites born in the United States were nearly equivalent (20.0% and 21.6%, respectively); rates were highest for Mexican Americans born in the United States (30.9%). While overall rates of sexual assault were lower for Mexican Americans, one-third of the most recent incidents reported by Mexico-born Mexican-American women involved the husband and approximated rape.

Factors Associated With College Women’s Labeling of Sexual Victimization

2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 940-958 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay M. Orchowski ◽  
Amy S. Untied ◽  
Christine A. Gidycz
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
College Women ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Date Rape ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Self Blame ◽  
Perpetrator Blame

Despite high rates of sexual assault among college women, most victims do not label the experience as sexual assault or rape. Prior research examining labeling of sexual victimization has focused on women’s characterization of rape experiences as either not victimization or victimization. This study extends prior research by exploring factors associated with labeling various forms of sexual victimization as “not victimization,” a “serious miscommunication,” or a “sexual assault, date rape, rape, or crime.” A sample of 1,060 college women reported on their experiences of sexual victimization since the age of 14 years. Women who reported experiences of prior sexual victimization (n = 371) indicated their level of acquaintance with the assailant, assault disclosure, substance use at time of assault, attributions of self- and perpetrator-blame for the assault, and labeling of the experience. Most women who reported experiences of sexual victimization did not self-identify as victims, and 38% labeled sexual victimization as a serious miscommunication. Greater acquaintance with the perpetrator, higher behavioral self-blame, and victim substance use at the time of the assault were associated with labeling sexual assault experiences as a serious miscommunication. Implications are discussed.

Investigation of an ethnic predisposition to developing brain metastases (BM) in Asian patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e15023-e15023
Author(s):  
Kerri McGovern ◽  
Teresa Rodriguez ◽  
Melissa H Smith ◽  
Antonia Maloney ◽  
Wasif M. Saif
Keyword(s):  
Overall Survival ◽  
Molecular Markers ◽  
Ethnic Disparities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Treatment Modalities ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Incidence And Mortality ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Hispanic White

e15023 Background: CRC, the third most common cancer in the United States, carries racial/ethnic disparities in both incidence and mortality. With availability of effective systemic therapies, the life of CRC patients can be prolonged which thereby increases the risk of metastases at uncommon sites, such as the brain. We report our investigation into the impact of race/ethnicity on the incidence of BM in CRC patients using retrospective data (2010 – 2018) at a single institution. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients diagnosed with CRC and collected data on age, race/ethnicity, stage, treatment modalities, metastatic sites, and survival. Race and ethnicity were defined in accordance with federal standards set by the U.S. Census. Following this, race/ethnicity was self-declared and/or based on the primary language declared and categorized as non-Hispanic White, Hispanic White, non–Hispanic Black, Asian, or Unknown/Other. CRC location was classified as right-sided, left-sided or rectal. Results: We identified 264 CRC patients (median age: 61; range: 38 - 99). Among them 123 identified as non-Hispanic white, 28 non-Hispanic black, 26 Hispanic white, and 9 declared Other. There were 76 (29%) who identified as Asian. Of those 76 patients, 5 (7%) developed BM. All 5 patients were male and stage IV at initial diagnosis. BM was a late stage phenomenon with rectal primary and lung metastases seemly associated with an increased risk in the specific cohort. Molecular markers such as KRAS were available in 3 patients without clear association. Median time to development of BM was 29 months (range: 26 - 33). Median overall survival after BM diagnosis was 5.5 months (range: 4 - 11). Overall survival was longest for the patient who had both radiation and surgery. Conclusions: Our study showed an incidence of BM of 7% in the Asian sub-population compared to the historical control of 0.6 – 3.2% in the overall population. These results at the least warrant further investigation in a larger patient population of BM in CRC patients with emphasis on molecular markers. Recognition of BM in CRC patients is clinically relevant secondary to multiple lines of therapy as mentioned earlier and its grave impact on outcome.

scholarly journals Risk Factors for the Development of Bacteremia in Previously Healthy Children with Non-typhoidal Salmonella Gastroenteritis

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. S365-S365
Author(s):  
Bethany Burdick ◽  
Ankhi Dutta ◽  
Lauren Hess ◽  
Charles Minard
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Exclusion Criteria ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Pediatric Study ◽  
Age Of Diagnosis ◽  
Hispanic White

Abstract Background Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) causes approximately 1.2 million illnesses per year in the United States. There are very few pediatric studies which has investigated the risk factors for NTS bacteremia in healthy children with NTS gastroenteritis (NTS-AGE). Methods This was a retrospective study of children admitted to Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, with NTS-AGE from 2007–2016. Exclusion criteria included: patients aged ≤3 m or &gt; 18 years, immunodeficiencies, hemoglobinopathies, extraintestinal manifestations or those in whom blood cultures were not obtained. Demographics, clinical and laboratory data were collected from electronic medical records. Patients with NTS bacteremia (NTS-B) were compared with patients who were non-bacteremic (NTS-NB). Results Of 350 patients reviewed, 83 patients met inclusion criteria: 53 with NTS-B and 30 NTS-NB. The median age of diagnosis was 1.58 years (range 3.5 months-18 years). Thirty-nine patients (47.0%) were female and 44 (53.0%) were male. Majority of patients were non-Hispanic White (n = 70; 84.3%). The most common serotype was Salmonella Group C (n = 41(49.4%). There was no difference in risk factors between NTS-B vs. NTS-NB in terms of age, duration of diarrhea prior to admission, travel or pet exposure, prior antibiotic exposure or white blood cell count at presentation. Duration of fever prior to admission was statistically significant with median duration for NTS-B being 6.11 days compared with NTS-NB at 1.97 days (P = &#x2028;0.0000006). There was an increased trend for bacteremia in males and Salmonella Group C bacteremia (P = 0.07 and P = 0.08 respectively). Conclusion To our knowledge this is first pediatric study in the United States to evaluate risk factors for NTS bacteremia in healthy children with NTS-AGE. Duration of fever prior to admission was associated with increased risk of NTS-B along with increased trend with males and infection with Group C Salmonella. These risk factors should prompt clinicians to monitor patients with NTS-AGE closely and help in deciding whether antimicrobials are warranted or not. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document