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RESEARCH
Although campus policies and programs focusing on sexual violence need to understand the prevalence of both victimization and perpetration, these have rarely been studied together. This study examined the risk correlation with the prevalence rates (that is, how common they are on campus) for both victimization and perpetration among 3,977 graduate and undergraduate students at a large private university. This study a) collected data on the prevalence of wanted sexual victimization and perpetration experience on this campus and b) investigated the risk correlates for unwanted sexual victimization and perpetration experiences.
Nearly one in eight students who completed the survey reported experiencing some form of unwanted sexual behavior while at the university (these behaviors ranged from unwanted touching to penetration involving threats and/or weapons). However, female undergraduate students were significantly more likely to be victimized (more than 25%). Campbell and colleagues found that female gender, undergraduate student status and prior victimization experience were all significant risk correlates for sexual victimization. And 95.5% of incidents occurred when the student was incapacitated due to alcohol, substances, or sleep. Asian students were significantly less likely than White students to report sexual harassment or sexual violence. The authors note that this is in need of further research because it may be due to Asian women reaching out for help less often. As with previous studies, an acquaintance, peer, or colleague was most likely reported as causing the sexual harm.
The risk correlates for perpetration were complementary to victimization and included male gender, undergraduate student status, and prior perpetration before entering campus. The students that were harmed were most likely to be a current or former intimate partner or someone identified as a stranger.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PROFESSIONALS
Universities typically have resources for providing support to those who have experienced harm; these findings show how many campuses can work to ensure that all students know of their availability. Given the results of this study, resources for those who have caused sexual harm are also crucial for a more effective response or prevention intervention. These findings offer further insights into what each professional can do to prevent sexual misconduct. It may be as simple as providing information to students about boundaries or about the effects of drugs, alcohol, and social pressures. It should also involve helping students to find their way into support services for their experiences of sexual harm or for causing sexual harm.
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FIELD
These findings shed light on ho95%inw universities can better respond to sexual misconduct and prevent it from happening. The findings also leave no doubt as to the responsibility of campuses to make earnest efforts at maintaining safety. While universities often find themselves defending their actions in response to groundswells of anger by students, their parents, and communities, these findings point the way to more effective methods for going forward, such as sexual assault awareness education for freshman and throughout the campus experience, ensuring that support services are efficient and helpful, and putting programs into place that promote awareness of these issues around campuses and the surrounding communities. Ultimately, these findings point to the fact that sexual misconduct on campus is preventable.
CITATION:
Campbell, J. C., Sabri, B., Budhathoki, C., Kaufman, M. R., Alhusen, J., & Decker, M. R. (2021). Unwanted sexual acts among university students: Correlates of victimization and perpetration. Journal of interpersonal violence, 36(1-2), NP504-NP526.
ABSTRACT:
Unwanted sexual experiences are common among university students in the United States and pose a substantial public health concern. Campus policies and programs to prevent unwanted sexual incidents in university settings require research on prevalence and risk correlates of both victimization and perpetration. This study determined the prevalence of unwanted sexual victimization and perpetration experiences among students, both before and after joining the university, and examined risk correlates for both unwanted sexual victimization and perpetration experiences. Data were collected from 3,977 full-time graduate and undergraduate students using an online survey in a large private university. The findings revealed nearly one in eight students surveyed were victimized by unwanted sexual incidents at the university. Risk correlates of victimization by unwanted sexual incidents included female gender, undergraduate student status, and victimization experiences prior to joining the university. Most (95.5%) sexual violence incidents occurred when the victim was incapacitated due to alcohol, substance, or asleep. An acquaintance, peer, or colleague was the most frequently reported perpetrator. Risk correlates of perpetration included male gender, undergraduate student status, and perpetration of unwanted sexual activities before joining the university. Perpetrators most frequently reported perpetration of unwanted sexual behaviors against a current or former intimate partner or a stranger. The findings highlight the importance of enhanced efforts to reduce prevalence of unwanted sexual incidents, particularly among students most at risk for victimization and perpetration.
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