Treatment for Sexual Assault Survivors at University Counseling Centers

Who do They Tell? College Students' Formal and Informal Disclosure of Sexual Violence, Sexual Harassment, Stalking, and Dating Violence by Gender, Sexual Identity, and Race

Disclosure of interpersonal violence (i.e., sexual violence, sexual harassment, dating violence, and stalking) is often the first step toward receiving social and systemic support. Research demonstrates that sexual assault and dating violence survivors on college campuses are more likely to disclosure to informal sources (i.e., friends and family) than formal sources (e.g., police, Title IX, counseling centers). However, there is limited research examining disclosure rates after other forms of violence (i.e., stalking, sexual harassment), and little is known about the impact of the survivors' identities on disclosure. Utilizing four academic years (2016-2019) of aggregated campus climate data from a large Southeastern university, the current study examined rates of disclosure across experiences of sexual violence, sexual harassment, dating violence, and stalking while identifying whether the prevalence and type of disclosure (formal versus informal-only) differed by gender, sexual orientation, and/or race/ethnicity. Of 8,017 participants, 4.6% reported sexual violence, 18.9% reported sexual harassment, 12.3% reported dating violence, and 11.3% reported stalking in the past academic year. Results of multinomial logistic regression indicated that, across all four types of violence, men (as compared to women) had lower odds of disclosing both informally-only and formally. Bisexual as compared to heterosexual students had higher odds of formal disclosure of sexual harassment and stalking while gay/lesbian students had higher odds of formally disclosing sexual harassment. Individuals of another race/ethnicity (compared to White students) had lower odds of informal-only disclosure of dating violence. Findings underscore the need to implement programs to improve the social reactions of friends and family members receiving disclosures, and to increase culturally-tailored service provision.

The Indirect Effect of Coping Self-Efficacy on the Relation Between Sexual Violence and PTSD Symptoms

One in five women experience rape and one in four experience unwanted sexual contact, incurring significant risk of negative psychological outcomes such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Given this heightened risk, it is imperative to examine factors that can inhibit the development of PTSD symptoms in response to sexual violence in women. Perceived coping self-efficacy (CSE) is a cognitive appraisal ability utilized to regulate internal and external stressors that arise from traumatic events and is crucial for effective adaptation after traumas such as sexual violence. This study investigated CSE as a potential protective factor against trauma-related psychopathology in female rape survivors. In this study, 518 female undergraduate students (M age = 22.71 years, SD = 8.33 years; 82.4% Caucasian) completed self-report measures of nonconsensual sexual experiences, CSE, and PTSD symptom severity. Of those, 375 women (M age = 22.89 years, SD = 6.91 years; 83.7% Caucasian) reported at least one incident of a nonconsensual sexual experience. We hypothesized that CSE would indirectly affect the relationship between sexual violence and PTSD symptom severity, such that CSE would be protective against PTSD symptoms. In line with our hypothesis, there was evidence of a significant indirect effect, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [0.18, 0.44]. This evidence suggests that CSE may be an important protective factor given women's increased risk of developing PTSD symptoms following sexual violence. Furthermore, this finding suggests that programs targeting the development of CSE may prevent or lessen risk of PTSD symptoms following sexual violence.

Intimate partner violence, trauma, and mental health need among female community college students

OBJECTIVE

The impact of interpersonal violence on college students has received considerable attention, yet no studies have been conducted among community college students, who comprise 40% of all American college students, and have unique risk factors and needs. Community College students are more likely to be women, people of color, working, parenting, and first generation college students.

PARTICIPANTS

Data were collected from a simple random sample from four community colleges (n=435).

METHODS

A cross-sectional quantitative survey was used to assess the extent of intimate partner violence, trauma exposure, sexual violence, and associated mental health consequences among female students.

RESULTS

Over 27% of participants reported IPV in the past year, while 25% reported sexual assault and 34% reported other uncomfortable sexual experiences in their lifetime. Nearly 20%of participants were currently reporting PTSD symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Community Colleges should work with service providers to build their capacity to respond to students' needs.