Test-Retest Reliabilities of Four Tactic-first Sexual Violence History Questionnaires

"I Think You Covered the Three Levels of Drugs and Consent": Qualitatively Testing Different Operationalizations of an Alcohol and Other Drugs-Involved Sexual Violence

Substance-involved rape is increasing among college students, particularly women (Koss et al., 2022). Addressing rape requires first measuring it accurately in surveys to understand its true scope and nature. We used cognitive interviews with 40 young adults to qualitatively test the construct validity of an alcohol- and other drugs (AOD)-involved rape item in the Sexual Experiences Survey by asking participants to comment on different operationalizations of this construct. Our findings revealed that different phrasings elicited different interpretations of the items by participants. Specifically, the results indicated that (1) respondents viewed the different operationalizations as a sequence of events with varying severity; (2) some participants focused on the intentionality and responsibility of the perpetrator as opposed to opportunistic perpetration; and (3) study participants consistently chose one of the operationalizations as describing "being roofied" (being drugged without consent). Participants also contributed additional scenarios not described in the questionnaire and shared their interpretations of the items. The results underscore the importance of refining survey language to properly measure AOD-involved rape and allow us to understand how to tailor appropriate questions for best comprehension. The findings indicate the benefit in including several items about AOD-involved rape in questionnaires such as the Sexual Experiences Survey, with each item addressing different scenarios of victim intoxication. The results could also have important implications for sexual violence prevention programs, which should discuss consent, intentions, and responsibility specifically in the context of AOD consumption.

Preliminary Evidence of Validity for the Verbally Pressured and Illegal Sexual Exploitation Modules of the Sexual Experiences Survey-Victimization

The Sexual Experiences Survey-Victimization (SES-V; see Koss et al., 2024) revises the prior 2007 Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) in many ways, including expanded measurement of verbally pressured and illegal sexual exploitation, as well as the addition of items that assess being made to perform a sexual act or to penetrate another person sexually. The current article describes two initial validity studies of the SES-V. Study 1 compared rates of self-reported verbal pressure and illegal sexual exploitation (e.g. rape) on a preliminary version of the SES-V and the SES-SFV in a sample of higher education students who completed both questionnaires online in a randomized order (N = 460). As expected, the preliminary SES-V produced higher rates than the SES-SFV, and continuous scores were strongly correlated. Responses to the made-to-penetrate (MTP) items suggested that some cisgender men and women may have misunderstood those items. Study 2 explored responses to the MTP items further by randomly assigning participants to complete items with either the Study 1 MTP language (n = 269) or revised language (n = 245). The revised language produced fewer implausible responses and was adopted in the final version of the SES-V. These findings provide initial support for the validity of the SES-V and the value of expanding the conceptualization of victimization to include a wider range of sexual exploitation. A research agenda for future validity research is suggested.

Words Can Hurt: A Taxonomy of Verbally Pressured Sexual Exploitation in the SES-V

This article describes the development of the Verbally Pressured Sexual Exploitation module of the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES)-Victimization (introduced by Koss et al., 2024). This module assesses the use of verbal or nonphysical, paraverbal pressure to obtain sexual acts without freely given permission. An interdisciplinary team of seven sexual exploitation researchers collaborated to create this module, with consultation from the full 15 member SES-V revision collaboration team. In this paper, we describe our process for developing this module. We briefly review empirical literature and theoretical frameworks (e.g., rape scripts, normative sexual scripts, intersectionality, and sex-positivity) that informed this work. Summary tables compare the SES-V items to verbal pressure items in prior versions of the SES and to other existing measures of violence. The comprehensive taxonomy developed herein includes six domains of Verbally Pressured sexual exploitation across 11 item stems. The components of the taxonomy include: positive verbal pressure, neutral verbal pressure, negative verbal pressure, substance-related pressure, postural violence, and threats to critical resources. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research, with priority on intersectional research that can illuminate the phenomenology and contexts of sexual exploitation against marginalized groups.

The Revised Sexual Experiences Survey Victimization Version (SES-V): Conceptualization, Modifications, Items and Scoring

The Sexual Experiences Survey [SES] is considered the gold standard measure of non-consensual sexual experiences. This article introduces a new victimization version [SES-V] developed by a multidisciplinary collaboration, the first revision since 2007. The 2024 SES-V is designed to measure the construct of sexual exploitation since the 14th birthday. Notable revisions are adoption of a freely given permission standard for non-consent, introduction of new tactics and acts, including made to perform or to penetrate another person's body, tactics-first wording order, and emphasis on gender and sexual orientation inclusivity. The SES-V is modularized to allow whole or partial administration. Modules include Non-contact, Technology-facilitated, Illegal (largely penetrative), and Verbally pressured sexual exploitation. Tables provide item text, multiple scoring approaches, module follow-up, specific incident description and demographics. Future plans include developing a scoring algorithm based on weighting our hypothesized dimensions of sexual exploitation severity: invasiveness, pressure, and norm violation combined with frequency. This article is the first in a special issue on the SES-V. Subsequent articles focus on the taxonomies and literature that informed each module. The issue concludes with two empirical papers demonstrating the feasibility and validity of the SES-V: (1) psychometric comparison with the 2007 SES-SFV; and (2) prevalence data from a census-matched adult community sample.

Comparison of V-RISK-Y and V-RISK-10 for risk of violence: A one-year study from a psychiatric emergency department for adolescents

There has been a lack of short and simple screening instruments to assess the risk of violence in youth. Many acute youth departments have used the V-RISK-10, a risk screener for adults. V-RISK-Y is a risk screener based on the V-RISK-10 and adapted to youths. Our aim was to compare the predictive validity between V-RISK-Y and VRISK-10 in an emergency psychiatric adolescent ward. Target population were all 92 patients admitted within one year, and study population consisted of 49 (53 %) patients who had completed data. V-RISK-10 and V-RISK-Y were scored at admission and compared with recorded episodes of violence during the hospitalization. V-RISK-Y showed higher AUC values for recorded violence and some of the individual items also showed better results. Most differences were not significant, but results may still be of clinical interest.

Motives for Sex and Sexual Perpetration in College Men: An Exploratory Study

OBJECTIVE

Prior research has rarely focused on sexual motives (e.g., motives for having sex) when studying sexual violence perpetration prevention. The current study examined the role of sexual motives alongside other risk factors like alcohol expectancies in predicting sexual violence.

METHOD

We analyzed data from 205 male college students; 36% reported sexual perpetration of some type. Participants completed a series of questionnaires in a randomized order, including: measures of prior sexual perpetration, sexual motives, rape myth acceptance, alcohol expectancies, and a measure of social desirability. Data were analyzed using a series of T-tests and logistic regressions.

RESULTS

With one exception (coping motives), all sexual motives (intimacy, enhancement, self-affirmation, peer approval, and partner approval) were endorsed at higher levels by individuals who perpetrated sexual violence than those who did not (p < .05, Cohen's d = .25-.56). The partner approval motive significantly predicted sexual violence perpetration on its own. The enhancement motive, both independently and in interaction with alcohol expectancies for aggression, predicted sexual violence perpetration. Two other motives, intimacy and self-affirmation, were only significant in interaction with alcohol expectancies for aggression.

CONCLUSION

All sexual motives were endorsed more frequently by those who perpetrated sexual violence than those who did not. Sexual motives had a complex interaction with alcohol expectancies in predicting sexual violence perpetration. The results suggest that intervention programs should emphasize healthy, consensual sexual relationships that do not involve alcohol.

Proximal Motives of Sexual Arousal, Power, and Relationship for Sexual Aggression: Supporting the Millennial Shift

We examined three proximal motives for sexual aggression (sexual persistence after a turn down): sexual arousal, power, and relationship. The MTurk sample consisted of 264 adults: 92 Millennial men (35%), 51 Millennial women (19%), 82 Gen X men (31%) and 39 Gen X women (15%). The motive data, measured by the Sexual Aggression Motive Assessment (SAMA), were unanalyzed data extracted from the authors' previous study of the Millennial shift, a phenomenon in which Millennial women, as compared to older generation women, showed higher levels of sexual aggression, while Millennial men, in comparison to older generation men, demonstrated lower levels of sexual aggression. For all respondents combined, the most chosen motive category was sexual arousal (95%), followed by relationship (49%), and then by power (18%) with 50% choosing two or more motive categories. Providing conceptual support for the Millennial shift, significantly more Millennial women than Gen X women chose motives of sexual arousal and power as reasons for perpetrating sexual aggression. An important finding for the relationship motive is that substantial numbers of both men and women engaged in sexual aggression because they felt that having sex would make the person like them.

Coercive Condom Use Resistance: A Scoping Review

Objective

Sexual aggression research has recently expanded to include empirical investigations of coercion during condom negotiation and use. This scoping review presents and discusses peer-reviewed, quantitative, English-language studies conducted on coercive condom use resistance (CUR) behavior and intentions.

Method

Our systematic literature search yielded 20 articles that assessed coercive CUR perpetration behaviors or intentions and met other inclusion criteria. Data on rates and correlates of coercive CUR behavior and intentions were extracted.

Results

Identified studies used varied methods including cross-sectional surveys, 3-month longitudinal studies, and alcohol administration experiments, primarily with young adult samples. Overall, results indicated that a substantial minority (up to 42.6%) of sampled individuals endorsed lifetime perpetration of coercive CUR, with men reporting higher prevalence of coercive CUR perpetration than women. The majority of studies (70%) assessed coercive CUR through the Condom Use Resistance Tactics Scale (Davis et al., 2014). Although correlates largely differed by gender, alcohol-related variables emerged as risk factors for both men and women.

Conclusions

Burgeoning evidence indicates that coercive CUR is relatively common, and, particularly for men, risk factors are similar to those associated with sexual aggression more generally. Review findings demonstrate that continued research in this area is warranted and should expand to include more diverse populations, to consider other risk factors and sequelae, and to utilize novel methodological approaches.

Measuring sexual violence perpetration acknowledgment: Testing the effects of label and response format

Individual acknowledgment of sexual assault and rape perpetration is extraordinarily low in prior research. Only about 1% of individuals report perpetrating rape, in contrast to the 6% perpetrating rape as estimated by using behaviorally specific items that exclude stigmatized words such as rape. The goal of this study was to examine two possible measurement mechanisms for increasing perpetration acknowledgment: label choice and response format. In Sample 1 (N = 291), participants completed two acknowledgment items which varied in label choice. One item used the term rape; one used the term sexual assault. Acknowledgment of perpetration using the label sexual assault was significantly higher than when using the term rape (6.38%-1.71%, p = .01, Cohen's d = 0.44). In Sample 2 (N = 438), participants were presented with a scaled and a dichotomous sexual assault item at different parts of the overall survey. Sexual assault acknowledgment was higher on the scaled item compared to the dichotomous item (15.75% vs. 3.2%, p < .0001, Cohen's d = 0.64). Rates of sexual perpetration as measured behaviorally were higher for ambiguous acknowledgment types ("might or might not," "probably not") than for those reporting "definitely not," (76.81% vs. 29.0%, p < .0001, Cohen's d = 0.59). The two different measurement strategies tested here, using a less stigmatized label such as sexual assault and using a scaled response format, both increased rates of perpetration acknowledgment 3-15x greater than rates documented in prior research.

Participant Acceptability of Questionnaires Impacts Sexual Victimization Prevalence Rates

Obtaining accurate prevalence rates of sexual violence is made difficult by discrepancies in self-report questionnaires. Thus, the current study sought to explore participants' perceptions of acceptability (i.e., perceived difficulty and preference) as a potential mechanism of discrepancy between different questionnaires. Participants were 673 college students who completed two frequently used sexual victimization questionnaires, the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) and the Post-Refusal Sexual Persistence Scales-Victimization (PRSPS-V). Participants then answered questions about each measure's perceived difficulty and their preference between the two. Participants found the PRSPS-V easier to understand and preferred it 2.5 to 1 over the SES-SFV. Preference was related to reporting; participants who preferred the PRSPS-V reported more instances of sexual victimization on the PRSPS-V by 9.8%. Our results indicate that acceptability impacts reported prevalence rates and is one mechanism of discrepancy between questionnaires. Thus, researchers may wish to consider acceptability when choosing sexual victimization questionnaires.

Examining the Psychometric Properties of the Sexual Initiation Strategies Scale (SISS): A New Self-Report Measure of Sexual Aggression Perpetration History

Psychometrically-sound measures of sexual aggression are essential for identifying risk factors for perpetration and examining the behavioral impact of prevention interventions. This project reports on the psychometric evaluation of a new measure of sexual perpetration-the Sexual Initiation Strategies Scale (SISS)-which was designed to correct for weaknesses in prior measures. In Study 1, scores on the SISS demonstrated reasonable convergent and divergent validity and test-rest reliability among a sample of mixed gender college students (N = 575). Participants were more likely to endorse having engaged in sexually aggressive behavior on the SISS than on two other measures of sexual aggression. In Study 2, rates of endorsement on the SISS also were higher than on the most commonly-used measure of perpetration in a community sample of men and women (N = 551) in which gay, lesbian, and bisexual participants were oversampled. In general, the SISS seemed to perform well as a measure of sexual aggression perpetration in both men and women and in those reporting both same- and other-gender sexual aggression. Advantages and disadvantages of the SISS as compared to other measures are discussed.

Trauma Symptoms and Deliberate Self-Harm Among Sexual Violence Survivors: Examining State Emotion Regulation and Reactivity as Dual Mechanisms

Objective

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms have been associated with elevated rates of deliberate self-harm, including among women who have experienced sexual violence (SV); however, processes underlying this association have not been widely examined. Because a common function of deliberate self-harm is to reduce negative internal states, SV survivors may use self-harm to cope with impairments in broader affective processes associated with PTSD symptoms. To test this hypothesis, the present study examined the role of two aspects of emotional responding (i.e., state emotional reactivity and emotion dysregulation) as mechanisms between greater PTSD symptoms and risk for future deliberate self-harm among SV survivors.

Method

Participants were 140 community women with a history of SV who completed two waves of data collection. At baseline, participants reported on their PTSD symptoms, as well as state emotional reactivity and state emotion dysregulation following a standardized laboratory stressor task (i.e., the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task [PASAT-C]). Participants then completed a self-report measure of deliberate self-harm 4 months later.

Results

Results from a parallel mediation analysis indicated that greater state emotion dysregulation, but not state emotional reactivity, mediated prospective associations between more severe PTSD symptoms at baseline and greater risk for deliberate self-harm 4-months later.

Conclusions

Applied to the context of survivors' daily lives, these findings underscore the importance of deficits in emotion regulation during times of distress in predicting risk for later deliberate self-harm.

An Experimental Test of the Impact of Varying Questionnaire Response Format on Prevalence Rates for Sexual Violence Victimization and Perpetration

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the impact of a dichotomous versus scaled response format on prevalence rates of sexual violence perpetration and victimization, thus conceptually replicating Hamby et al., 2006 and extending those findings to the context of sexual violence.

METHODS

Two samples were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and were randomly assigned to either a dichotomous or scaled response format of the same questionnaire. Sample 1 was used to examine perpetration and received a perpetration specific version of the Post-Refusal Sexual Persistence Scale (PRSPS). Sample 2 was used to examine victimization and received a victimization specific version of the PRSPS.

RESULTS

Men and women who received the scaled response format reported significantly more incidents of sexual perpetration, and for each type of tactic studied, on the order of 1.7-9x more frequently. The association between response format condition and prevalence rates of sexual violence victimization was significant only for men (23.0 vs 39.4%) and for the tactic of verbal coercion (30.1 vs 41.5%), with the scaled response format producing greater responding.

CONCLUSIONS

The response format of sexual violence items can significantly alter prevalence rates of sexual violence perpetration, with scaled response formats producing greater endorsements than dichotomous formats. Response format also appears to impact prevalence rates of sexual violence victimization, particularly for men.

A Quantitative Intersectional Exploration of Sexual Violence and Mental Health among Bi + People: Looking within and across Race and Gender

Young bisexual people report disparities related to mental health and sexual violence compared to their heterosexual and gay/lesbian peers. However, the majority of research in these areas does not employ an intersectional design, despite evidence that health outcomes vary by race and gender within bi + populations. The goal of this paper is to provide an intersectionally-informed exploration of the prevalence of sexual violence among a diverse sample of 112 bi + people age 18-26, as well as descriptive data on stigma, mental health, and social support. Most (82%) of participants reported at least once experience of sexual violence since the age of 16. Sexual violence was positively associated with sexual stigma, anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Nonbinary participants reported greater prevalence of violence, exposure to stigma, and worse mental health outcomes relative to cisgender participants. Nonbinary BIPOC participants reported higher levels of anxiety and depression than cisgender BIPOC participants.

Study Title-Based Framing Effects on Reports of Sexual Violence and Associated Risk Factors in College Students

OBJECTIVE

There are many methodological issues in studying sexual violence, including potential framing effects. Framing effects refer to how researchers communicate the purpose of a study to participants, such as, how the study is advertised or explained. The aim of this study was to investigate if framing effects were associated with differences in participants' self-reported experiences of sexual violence and related correlates.

METHODS

College students (N = 782) were recruited to participate in one of four identical studies that differed in the title: "Questionnaires about Alcohol," "Questionnaires about Crime," "Questionnaires about Health," or "Questionnaires about Sexual Assault." Participants chose one of the four studies and completed measures of sexual violence as well as attitudinal and behavioral measures in randomized order.

RESULTS

We found significantly more reports of childhood sexual abuse (33.6% vs. 18.5%), rape (33.9% vs. 21.1%), higher frequency of victimization (M = 11.35 vs. 5.44), and greater acknowledged rape for bisexual people (46.2% vs. 0.0%) in the sexual assault (SA) condition compared to other conditions. There were no differences in sexual violence perpetration or attitudinal or behavioral measures.

CONCLUSION

These results revealed that framing effects, based on the study title, affect outcomes in sexual victimization research. Rape was reported 1.6× more in the "Sexual Assault" condition than in the "Health" condition. It is unclear whether these framing effects reflect self-selection bias or framing related increased reports in the SA condition, suppression of reports in other conditions, or a combination thereof.