Two Approaches to Analyzing Institutions’ Spending Responses to Campus Sexual Assault

The Campus Sexual Assault Study examined whether undergraduate women’s victimization experiences prior to college and lifestyle activities during college were differentially associated with the type of sexual assault they experienced: physically forced sexual assault and incapacitated sexual assault. Self-reported data collected using a Web-based survey administered to more than 5,000 undergraduate women at two large public universities indicated that victimization experiences before college were differentially associated with the risk of experiencing these two types of sexual assault during college. Women who experienced forced sexual assault before college were at very high risk of experiencing forced sexual assault during college (odds ratio [OR] = 6.6). Women who experienced incapacitated sexual assault before college were also at very high risk of experiencing incapacitated sexual assault during college (OR = 3.7). Moreover, women’s substance use behaviors during college, including getting drunk and using marijuana, were strongly associated with experiencing incapacitated sexual assault but were not associated with experiencing forced sexual assault. Implications for education and prevention programs, as well as future research directions, are discussed.

Download Full-text

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.

Download Full-text

Student views on campus sexual assault

Journal of American College Health ◽

10.1080/07448481.2018.1500476 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 67 (7) ◽

pp. 698-705

Author(s):

Sarah Schaaf ◽

Raina V. Lamade ◽

Ann W. Burgess ◽

Mary Koss ◽

Elise Lopez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Campus Sexual Assault ◽

Student Views

Download Full-text

Reimagining the Study of Campus Sexual Assault

Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-31365-4_12 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 229-275

Author(s):

Jessica C. Harris ◽

Krystle P. Cobian ◽

Nadeeka Karunaratne

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Campus Sexual Assault

Download Full-text

Engaging collaborative communities: dialogue and campus sexual assault

Journal of Communication Management ◽

10.1108/jcom-06-2017-0064 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 296-308 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Stephanie Madden

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Public Relations ◽

Title Ix ◽

Content Type ◽

Campus Sexual Assault ◽

Administrative Position ◽

The Usa ◽

Proactive Communication ◽

University Officials ◽

Depth Interviews

Purpose While universities continue to grow increasingly sophisticated in their communication functions, issues like sexual assault continue to pose a challenge. One reason is that these issues are emotional, complex, and often only dealt with at the point that they have become a crisis for the institution. The purpose of this paper is to understand the role that dialogue can play in proactively communicating about issues of sexual assault. Design/methodology/approach This study utilized 32 in-depth interviews with university officials from 21 different universities across the USA with responsibility for communicating about issues of sexual assault, including Title IX officers, victims advocate services, student affairs, and university communications. Findings Issues managers worked to create opportunities for dialogue on their campus communities by highlighting shared values. Within a dialogic framework, university issues managers were creating spaces for dialogue and developing alternative forms of engagement in an effort to empower students with the necessary skills to engage in dialogue with their peers. There was a recognition that dialogue is most effective when it is peer-to-peer vs coming from an authoritative or administrative position. Issues managers helped students to develop the skills necessary for engaging in dialogue with each other. Originality/value To advance public relations scholarship, there is a need to consider emotional and gendered issues that are often stigmatized. This can help practitioners to develop better, and proactive, communication strategies for handling issues of sexual assault as to avoid negative media attention and work to change organizational culture.

Download Full-text