Trauma of the Shared Environment: A Qualitative Analysis of the Experiences of Survivors of College Campus Sexual Assault

Survivors of campus sexual assault are often tasked with healing while sharing an environment with their perpetrators. However, little is known about the effects of a shared environment on survivor well-being. A qualitative thematic analysis design was employed to address this gap. We conducted semi-structured interviews with nine female survivors who identified their perpetrators as fellow students at a large state university in the southeastern U.S. The five themes that emerged are situated within an ecological framework, which is also used to guide our recommendations for supporting survivors' well-being within higher education.

Effects of Extracurricular Participation on the Internalizing Problems and Intrapersonal Strengths of Youth in a System of Care

Although extracurricular participation has been linked to positive youth outcomes in the general population, no research to date has examined benefits for youth diagnosed with mental health challenges. Youth in systems of care (SOCs) receive a variety of services and supports that could help them capitalize on this potential for positive development, such as access to flexible funding to support recreational interests. However, research has not examined the degree to which the increased community involvement (e.g., extracurricular participation) sought in SOCs contributes to improved outcomes. This study addresses these gaps by investigating the relationships between both average and increased extracurricular participation frequency and breadth and internalizing problems and intrapersonal strengths among SOC youth. Findings revealed that, on average, higher frequency of youth participation was associated with higher intrapersonal strengths and lower internalizing problems. Increases in participation frequency were also associated with increased strengths and decreased internalizing problems. These findings suggest that efforts to implement supports for increasing extracurricular participation of SOC youth could improve their psychosocial outcomes beyond the benefits yielded via formal services. Taken together, these results provide support for advocacy efforts to integrate youth with mental health challenges into existing extracurriculars and to create new extracurricular opportunities.