Intimate Partner Sexual Violence, Gender, and Psychological Distress Among Northern Irish University Students.

While substantial prevalence rates of intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) have been found among university students for decades in North America, there is a specific gap in published studies on this issue in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The present analysis used data from a larger survey study of students in one Northern Irish university. The analyses reported here were used to examine relationships among IPSV victims, gender (males and females only), unhealthy alcohol use, and psychological distress among university students (n = 654) since the age of 16 and during the previous year. The results of this study are consistent with previous research indicating that women (n = 248) experience IPSV more often than men (n = 37; 50% vs. 23%, respectively). Nonetheless, IPSV is experienced by both men and women with statistically significant associations with alcohol use, posttraumatic stress, depression, and generalized anxiety compared with those who did not report any IPSV experience.

Patterns of Sexual Harassment: An Intersectional Approach to Reported Victimization in a Campus Climate Survey of Students at Irish Higher Education Institutions.

This study explores how identifying with multiple minority groups relates to sexual harassment victimization (SHV) among students in higher education institutions in Ireland (n = 6,002). Results show that gender nonconforming and female students were more likely than males to experience SHV. Bisexual or queer and gay or lesbian students were more likely than their heterosexual peers to experience SHV. Students with a physical or cognitive disability were more likely to experience SHV than those who reported no disability, and white students were more likely than minority ethnic groups to experience SHV. When controlling for sexual orientation, gender, and disability status, students who identified as both gay and lesbian and reported a cognitive disability were 8.5 times more likely to experience SHV. Victims of SHV reported having lower scores on perceived institutional support items than those who had not experienced SHV.

Exploring the Validity of a Modified Version of the SES-SFV with Students Attending Northern Irish Universities.

Compared to US university students, far less is known about the scale of unwanted and non-consensual sexual experiences [USEs] faced by UK university students, particularly those in Northern Ireland [NI]. The Sexual Experiences Survey (Short Form [SEF-SFV]) is considered a popular tool for measuring USEs but has not been updated since 2007; there is some indication that additional perpetrator tactics may be more inclusive of students' experiences and that certain scoring strategies may impact our understanding of data. This paper examines the USEs reported by 1033 students attending either of NI's traditional universities. Participants completed a modified version of the SES-SFV that included two additional perpetration tactics: "ignorance of refusal" and "taken by surprise." Sixty-three percent (n = 650) reported experiencing at least one USE, but this reduced to 53% (n = 546) without the new perpetrator tactics. Female and non-heterosexual students reported significantly more USEs than male and heterosexual students, respectively. "Taken by surprise" was highly endorsed (81%, n = 525) and the most commonly endorsed tactic. Whilst dichotomous scoring is the most straightforward, continuous scoring affords greater analytical opportunities whilst still retaining frequency of USEs. "Taken by surprise" may be a relevant addition but further mixed-methodological research is required to assess its validity among larger and more diverse samples. SES-SFV scoring options should be also validated using male and mixed-gender samples, particularly categorical scoring to ensure current construction is reflective of the wider student experience.

Students responses to differing trigger warnings: A replication and extension.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to assess students' responses to a potentially triggering passage from literature using differing trigger warnings. PARTICIPANTS AND METHOD: 123 undergraduates read a passage which contained depictions of physical and sexual assault. Students were randomly assigned to differing trigger warning conditions prior to reading the passage that anticipated either neutral, positive, or negative emotional reactions. Measures of PTSD symptoms and distress were taken on Day 1, Day 2, and Day 14. RESULTS: Distress to the triggering passage did not vary as a function of either trauma history or trigger warning type. Those with higher PTSD scores to start did not experience more distress over time. DISCUSSION: The data suggest that instructors can assign challenging passages with the expectation that those with related traumas will not be disproportionately affected. In addition, the type of warning is not likely to impact on student emotional responses.

Measuring campus sexual misconduct and its context: The Administrator-Researcher Campus Climate Consortium (ARC3) survey.

OBJECTIVE: In response to The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault's recommendations, the Administrator-Researcher Campus Climate Collaborative (ARC3) has curated an empirically sound, no-cost campus climate survey for U.S. institutions of higher education. The ARC3 survey contains 19 modules that assess a range of Title IX violations, including sexual harassment, dating violence, and sexual misconduct victimization and perpetration; sexual misconduct prevention efforts, resources, and responses; and key predictors and possible outcomes of sexual misconduct. This article describes the ARC3 survey development and pilot test psychometric data. METHOD: A total of 909 students attending one of three U.S. universities responded to the survey; 85% of students who began the survey completed it. Students completed the ARC3 survey in slightly less than 30 min, on average. RESULTS: The majority of measures produced evidence for at least acceptable internal consistency levels (α > .70), with only two short item sets having marginal reliability (α = .65-.70). Correlations among scales matched expectations set by the research literature. Students generally did not find the survey distressing; in fact, students viewed the climate assessment as important and personally meaningful. CONCLUSION: The survey performed sufficiently well in pilot testing to recommend its use with U.S. college populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Risk of unwanted sex for college women: evidence for a red zone.

OBJECTIVE: University and college health and counseling centers frequently warn female students about the red zone-a period early in a student's first year at college during which she may be at higher risk for unwanted sexual experiences (UWS). The authors designed this study to assess temporal risk for UWS in 1st- and 2nd-year college women. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: In March 2006, the authors randomly selected 50 first-year and 52 second-year students (representing one-sixth of each class year) to complete a modified Sexual Experiences Survey. RESULTS: First-year women were at higher risk for UWS than were second-year women--particularly, early in the fall semester. The authors observed a significant linear effect during participants' combined first years in school, with more reports of UWS occurring early in the year. CONCLUSION: This study provides support for a red zone and highlights the need for investigating local norms for UWS.

"The red zone": temporal risk for unwanted sex among college students.

The "red zone" usually refers to the first few weeks of the first semester at college, when female students are believed to be at greatest risk for experiencing unwanted sex. We tested this notion using data from a survey study of 207 first-and second-year students (121 women, 84 men) at a small, liberal arts university. Results demonstrated only one significant elevation in incidence rates of first- and second-year women's unwanted sexual experiences (sexual touching, attempted and completed anal, oral, and vaginal sex), between the end of the first month and fall break (mid-October) during the second year at school. Previous research and local information about the relevant behaviors of sorority and fraternity members is discussed in light of these findings to provide heuristic material for further empirical testing. Because risk may involve both temporal and situational factors, systematic collection and dissemination of local data are recommended.

Risk factors and consequences of unwanted sex among university students: hooking up, alcohol, and stress response.

This is the first study of unwanted sexual experiences in the collegiate "hooking-up" culture. In a representative sample of 178 students at a small liberal arts university. Twenty-three percent of women and 7% of men surveyed reported one or more experiences of unwanted sexual intercourse. Seventy-eight percent of unwanted vaginal, anal, and oral incidents took place while--"hooking up,"--whereas 78% of unwanted fondling incidents occurred at parties or bars. The most frequently endorsed reason for unwanted sexual intercourse was impaired judgment due to alcohol. The most frequently endorsed reason for unwanted fondling was that it happened before the perpetrator could be stopped. Of those affected by unwanted sexual intercourse or unwanted fondling, 46.7% and 19.2% reported unwanted memories, 50% and 32.7% reported avoidance and numbing responses, and 30% and 26.9% reported hyperarousal responses, respectively. A preliminary model of unwanted sex and collegiate social dynamics is proposed to provide a heuristic for further research.

Some types of hookups may be riskier than others for campus sexual assault.

OBJECTIVE: The high prevalence of campus sexual assault (CSA) among college students in the United States is a chronic public health crisis. Some risk factors for CSA victimization, such as alcohol consumption and female gender, are firmly established, but the evidence for others is less robust. One factor that has received little attention in the literature on CSA is "hooking up," defined as a physically intimate dyadic encounter that may not entail further contact between partners. The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of hooking up, both as a general risk factor for CSA victimization, and the roles of different types of hookups, varying in degree of relatedness between partners, for different types of victimization. METHOD: A stratified random sample of female undergraduate students (n = 373) from a single, small campus in the northeastern United States completed measures of demographics, alcohol consumption, hooking up, and sexual victimization in an online survey. RESULTS: Results revealed high-risk levels of drinking, and a low-to-moderate frequency of hooking up. Overall prevalence of CSA reported by this sample was 44%, with 40% reporting nonconsensual sexual contact, and 33% attempted rape or rape. Follow-up questions to reports of sexual assaults indicated that most (78%) took place during hookups, and that the riskiest hookups were those with acquaintances and previous romantic partners. CONCLUSION: If found to generalize to other campus populations, the role of hooking up in sexual assault should be added to systems-based models of sexual assault (e.g.,Heise, 1998) and to educational prevention programs. (PsycINFO Database Record

Sexual Assault Victimization Among Female Undergraduates During Study Abroad: A Single Campus Survey Study.

Almost all research on sexual assault victimization among undergraduate university students pertains to incidents that occur on domestic college and university campuses. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of sexual assault victimization and related factors among undergraduates in the context of study-abroad programs. Two hundred eight female students (52% response rate) from a small university in the northeastern United States who had recently studied abroad responded to an online survey containing measures of sexual assault, posttraumatic stress responses (PSR), and alcohol consumption. Almost 19% of the respondents indicated one or more types of sexual assault victimization. Approximately 17% reported non-consensual sexual touching, 7% attempted rape, 4% rape, with 9% reporting attempted rape or rape. As in domestic studies, victimization in this sample was related positively to alcohol consumption and PSR. Use of force was the most frequently reported perpetrator tactic. In sum, the high rates of sexual assault victimization reported by this sample during study abroad replicate previous findings. This context requires further attention from sexual assault researchers, especially given the increasing numbers of university students engaging in study abroad, and from campus support personnel who may be unaware of the likelihood of assault in this context.

Emotional numbing in relation to stressful civilian experiences among college students.

Investigators have shown that hyperarousal is the best predictor of emotional numbing (EN), as compared with avoidance and reexperiencing. The aim of the present study was to extend this finding to the context of stressful civilian experiences among college students. Participants (N = 1,292) completed self-report checklists of stressful civilian experiences and PTSD symptoms. The results of multiple regression analyses in two subsamples consistently indicated that both hyperarousal and avoidance were good predictors of EN. These findings suggest that avoidance may play a more important role in the relationship between hyperarousal and EN in college students.