Development of and Preliminary Evidence for a Psychological Service Barriers Measure Among College Sexual Assault Survivors

Sexual assault is a widespread problem on college campuses, and survivors rarely use campus supports. However, there is no established measure of service barriers for this population. This study develops and provides preliminary evidence for a measure of psychological service barriers. Data were collected from 100 college sexual assault survivors. Results provide evidence for three factors: social-emotional barriers, negative treatment barriers, and minimization barriers. Additional tests offer evidence for consistency and reliability in these factors over time and across campus supports. This work offers preliminary evidence for the psychometric properties of this measure and lays the groundwork for future validation research.

Campus Support Providers' Discussion of Consent in Response to Sexual Assault Disclosure Situations: Understanding of Consent Linked to Resource Referrals

College sexual assault is a widespread issue and the responses of support providers can greatly affect sexual assault survivors' wellbeing after a disclosure. Although “consent” (or, more precisely, the lack thereof) is the defining feature of sexual assault, little is known about how support providers understand consent and draw from this knowledge in their responses to disclosures. This is particularly important in the wake of evolving consent policies in institutions of higher education. University resident assistants (RAs) are an important source of support for students in crisis, functioning as a “first responder” and providing support. Using a sample of 305 RAs, the current study employs a critical discourse analysis to examine how RAs engage with the concept of consent in response to sexual assault disclosure situations. Four types of consent discourses were identified: (a) affirming nonconsent, (b) validating right to consent, (c) questioning nonconsent, and (d) dictating how to consent. Findings provide a novel examination of how consent is understood, communicated, and reinforced in the campus community, and the implications of these discourses for survivors. Results suggest there may be benefit in additional training for support providers around the conceptualization of consent and how to discuss consent with survivors.

She Left the Party: College Students’ Meanings of Sexual Consent

At a moment when college sexual assault is described as an epidemic, it is important to understand college students’ implicit meanings of consent. Through 83 interviews, we examine students’ interpretations of a vignette in which neither character asked nor gave consent to sex. Gendered expectations significantly shaped whether students interpreted the male or female character as giving consent. When considering how students indicate interest in kissing or having sex, students interpreted acts such as leaving a party as indications of a man’s sexual interest and a woman’s willingness. That is, college students “expected” and employed implicit, gendered readings of actions that inform their understandings of implicit consent.

Sexual Assault on College Campuses in the United States

Sexual assault on college campuses is a global issue, with women’s victimization rates ranging from 13.8% in Nigeria to 77.6% in Turkey. Although the vast majority of studies on this particular form of violence against women have been conducted in the United States, studies from throughout the world have revealed the epidemic of sexual violence on college campuses. This chapter surveys the prominence of sexual victimization on college campus and discusses college subcultures, diversity considerations, endorsement of rape culture, prevention programming, and current political policy debates that impact a solution for college sexual assault predation. Global incidence is discussed, but this discussion is framed within the US college culture. The chapter concludes with a discussion of current advocacy efforts and some recommendations for change within prevention programming.