College Campus Sexual Assault and Female Students With Disabilities

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder as a risk factor for being involved in intimate partner violence and sexual violence: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence (SV) are significant problems world-wide, and they affect women disproportionally. Whether individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at an increased risk of being involved in these types of violence is unclear.

METHODS

We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO registration CRD42022348165) of the associations between ADHD and being the victim or perpetrator of IPV and SV. Ratios of occurrence of violence were pooled in random-effects models and study risk of bias was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

RESULTS

A search on multiple databases, carried out on 7 October 2022, yielded 14 eligible studies (1 111 557 individuals). Analyses showed a higher risk of ADHD individuals being involved in IPV as perpetrators (six studies, OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.51-4.15) or victims (four studies, OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.06-3.0). Likewise, individuals with ADHD were at increased risk of being perpetrators (three studies, OR 2.73, 95% CI 1.35-5.51) or victims of SV (six studies, OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.51-2.24). Results were overall robust to different analytical choices.

CONCLUSIONS

Individuals with ADHD are at an increased risk of being involved in cases of violence, namely IPV and SV, either as victims or perpetrators. Although the causal path or mediating variables for these results are still unclear, this increased risk should inform evidence-based psychoeducation with individuals with ADHD, their families, and partners about romantic relationships and sexuality.

Future directions for reproductive coercion and abuse research

BACKGROUND

Reproductive coercion and abuse (RCA) is a form of intimate partner violence (IPV) in which people with the capacity for pregnancy experience coercive behaviors that threaten their reproductive autonomy. Behaviors that constitute RCA include contraceptive control/sabotage, pregnancy pressure, and controlling the outcome of a pregnancy. Several areas of RCA study have emerged: associations with IPV, health outcomes resulting from RCA, and demographic and contextual factors associated with experiencing RCA. Current research in these areas is summarized and placed in a global context, including sexual and gender minority groups, use of RCA (exploring perpetration), RCA interventions, RCA in women with disabilities, and the question of whether people assigned male at birth can be RCA victims.

CONCLUSION

Areas for future exploration include evolving interpretations of pregnancy intention in the setting of fewer options for abortion, RCA in people with disabilities and multiple levels of marginalization, including sexual and gender minorities; intersections between RCA and economic abuse in the context of efforts at economic justice; and community-centered approaches to intervention and prevention.

Support for the basic psychological needs and satisfaction with health and quality of life in college students with disabilities

Objective: The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between the level of perceived support for the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness and satisfaction with health and quality of life among undergraduate college students with disabilities. Method: 286 postsecondary students with disabilities were surveyed in the spring of 2019. Cross-sectional data was analyzed to assess the relationship between students' perceived support for their basic psychological needs and their satisfaction with health and quality of life. Results: Results of the analyses revealed that perceived support for the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness statistically significantly predicted satisfaction with health and quality of life. Conclusions: The results of this study provide key insights into the nature of the relationship between support for malleable psychosocial factors within the college context and student satisfaction with their health and quality of life in the college context.

Improving Access to Postassault Healthcare for College Students: Creating a Campus-Based Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program

National prevalence data indicate that college students are at a high risk for sexual assault, but most institutions of higher education do not provide postassault medical forensic examinations as part of student-facing healthcare services. College sexual assault patients might have access to sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) in local hospitals, if they are available where they are attending school, but unfortunately, many student victims do not have options for postassault health services. Creating campus-based SANE programs could address this gap in services and increase access to healthcare. In this article, we describe how we created a free-standing, campus-based SANE program at Michigan State University. We worked with a multidisciplinary community advisory board to identify core guiding principles to inform stakeholder engagement, program location decisions, program policies, training protocols, staffing plans, and collaborative partnerships with other disciplines (e.g., advocacy, law enforcement, prosecution, forensic sciences). We discuss how we navigated opening the program in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic and share lessons learned for creating campus-based SANE programs.

Does the Presence of a Physical Disability Affect Classification of Sexual Assault?

The occurrence of sexual assault is common and problematic, especially among those with disabilities. While many other characteristics of the victim, perpetrator, and situation involving a sexual assault have been shown to affect perceptions, only one study has examined the impact of a hypothetical victim with a physical disability. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the effect that a victim and/or perpetrator's physical disability status has on individuals' classification of encounters as sexual assault.University students over the age of 18 (n = 207) completed an anonymous online survey which included reading an ambiguous scenario involving a sexual assault in which either the victim, perpetrator or neither was in a wheelchair. Participants classified the scenario as either representing a sexual assault or not and completed the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance scale and demographic information. A binary logistic regression model was conducted to examine the effects of conditions, participant gender and RMA score on sexual assault classification.In the scenario with the victim in a wheelchair, 71.6% of participants agreed sexual assault occurred; when the perpetrator was in a wheelchair 58.6% classified the scenario as sexual assault. In the control condition 61.4% agreed sexual assault occurred. Condition was not associated with classification at a statistically significant level; however, the effect sizes indicate participants were more likely to classify sexual assault when the victim was in a wheelchair (OR = 1.41), but less likely to blame a perpetrator in a wheelchair (OR = 0.69) compared to the control condition.Despite a lack of statistical significance, the data show a clear trend away from blaming individuals with disabilities in sexual assault scenarios. These findings can have implications within the legal system where incorrect decisions may be made due to bias based on disability status.

Campus Sexual Violence Victims with Disabilities: Disclosure and Help Seeking

Undergraduate students with disabilities represent an important population on college campuses. Yet the incidence of sexual violence and disclosing/reporting of sexual violence among this population is understudied. This exploratory and largely descriptive study uses an intersectional framework to understand the sexual victimization of undergraduate students with disabilities at a large Mid-Atlantic academic institution. The sample consisted of students who completed a sexual violence module (N = 2,929) as part of a larger campus climate survey. Students with disabilities comprised a smaller sample within this group (n = 177) and descriptive and chi-square results from both groups of students are reported. Students with disabilities had a statistically significant higher likelihood of sexual violence victimization before coming to campus and while at the university, with much higher rates for precollege victimization than students with no disabilities. Disclosure rates were not different for students across the two groups, though students with disabilities were more likely to utilize formal sources of support, such as campus Title IX offices and mental health services. This study shows support for a strengths-based approach that recognizes that students with disabilities may be more likely to reach out to campus resources. The findings of the study also underscore the need for culturally relevant victim services for students with disabilities. An evaluation of the culture of a university and its environment of openness, sharing, community, and protection (or lack thereof) can be a key point for future approaches to sexual violence on campus.

Student, Staff, and Faculty Perspectives on Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence on 3 Public University Campuses: Protocol for the UC Speaks Up Study and Preliminary Results

BACKGROUND

Intimate partner and sexual violence are pervasive public health issues on college and university campuses in the United States. Research is recommended for creating and maintaining effective, relevant, and acceptable prevention programs and response services for student survivors.

OBJECTIVE

The University of California (UC) Speaks Up study aims to examine factors contributing to intimate partner and sexual violence on 3 UC campuses and use the findings to develop and test interventions and policies to prevent violence, promote health, and lay the groundwork for subsequent large-scale quantitative research.

METHODS

A mixed methods study was conducted at UC Los Angeles, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara. Phase I (2017-2020) involved a resource audit; cultural consensus modeling of students' perceptions of sexual consent; in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions with students to understand perceptions of campus environment related to experiences as well as prevention of and responses to violence; and IDIs with faculty, staff, and community stakeholders to investigate institutional and community arrangements influencing students' lives and experiences. Phase II (2020-ongoing) involves IDIs with student survivors to assess the use and perceptions of campus and community services. Qualitative content analysis is used to generate substantive codes and subthemes that emerge, using a thematic analysis approach.

RESULTS

In January 2019, we conducted 149 free-listing interviews and 214 web-based surveys with undergraduate and graduate and professional students for the cultural consensus modeling. Between February 2019 and June 2019, 179 IDIs were conducted with 86 (48%) undergraduate students, 21 (11.7%) graduate and professional students, 34 (19%) staff members, 27 (15.1%) faculty members, and 11 (6.1%) community stakeholders, and 35 focus group discussions (27/35, 77% with undergraduate students and 8/35, 23% with graduate and professional students) were conducted with 201 participants. Since September 2020, 50% (15/30) of the planned student survivor interviews have been conducted. This segment of data collection was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Recruitment is ongoing.

CONCLUSIONS

Data analysis and phase II data collection are ongoing. The findings will be used to develop and test interventions for preventing violence, promoting health and well-being, and ensuring that survivor services are relevant and acceptable to and meet the needs of all individuals in the campus community, including those who are typically understudied. The findings will also be used to prepare for rigorous, UC-system-wide public health prevention research.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/31189.