Objective: This study assessed whether college women who bring their own alcohol to parties (BYOB) are less vulnerable to sexual victimization (SV). Participants: Participants were 652 female freshmen (M age = 18.04 years) at a large, public university. Methods: Women were recruited by email to complete online surveys of their drinking-related…

Rape culture has roots in our gendered history of the United States which manifests itself on college campuses as well. Attending college has been found to be the riskiest time for women in terms of sexual assault, as up to 1 in 4 women may experience some type of sexual assault or attempt during their collegiate years. This study explored how one…

Sexual assault on college campuses was the public health and safety problem addressed in this study which sought to determine if intervention and prevention program type affected rates of sexual assault on Tier I and Tier II universities in Texas. Female students, educated on the dangers of being victim to the criminality of sexual assault, were…

The present preliminary study is aimed at finding the interconnection between maladaptive personality characteristics, sexually aggressive behaviors, and rape myth endorsement in a sample comprised of college men. Sexual violence is particularly rampant in the college venue, therefore, understanding more about the risk factors associated with…

Sexual violence on college campuses is a significant concern, with research indicating that approximately one-third of female students and one-tenth of male students may experience it during their college years. The risk is higher for college women nationwide, and the impact on physical and mental health is substantial. Studies often highlight…

Women face heightened risk of sexual assault and a growing body of research has suggested that bystanders play a key role in preventing violence against women. To date, research has not fully explored bystander responses "following" a sexual assault event. Using self-categorization theory, this study employed an experimental design with…

Objective: Most sexual assault prevention approaches are universal in nature. The present study evaluated a Transtheoretical Model (TTM)--based Stages of Change (SOC) measure assessing readiness to utilize sexual assault risk reduction skills. The measure was evaluated with regard to Decisional Balance and Self-Efficacy. Participants: Survey data…

In May 2012, nine men from Rochdale were convicted and jailed for grooming girls with alcohol, drugs and gifts before forcing them to have sex with multiple men. Following the case in Rochdale similar cases of grooming and sexual abuse/exploitation of young girls came to light in various towns and cities across the UK. In 2017, the BBC aired the…

Many young women attending post-secondary education report high rates of sexual coercion and other forms of sexual violence on campus; however young women with disabilities may experience even higher rates of these behaviours. While researchers have investigated some types of violence, in particular intimate partner violence, little of this work…

Objective: One in five college women experience unwanted sexual contact while in college, with first-year women being at the greatest risk. Given these data, we investigate how first-semester sexual assault impacts college women's mental health. Participants: 483 female first-year students enrolled in the study during the first month of college.…

Objective: The Circle of Six (Co6) phone application (app), winner of the White House's "Apps Against Abuse Challenge," seeks to incorporate friends into sexual victimization risk reduction. Despite its growing presence on college campuses, the feasibility/acceptability of the app to college women is unknown. This mixed methods study…

One of 5 women are sexually assaulted during college, resulting not only in immediate suffering, but also negative consequences that affect their career trajectory and success over a lifetime (Krebs et al., 2016; Loya, 2015). Although previous research has focused on the individual predictors of violence, more recent research has hypothesized the…

Objective: Rape on college campuses continues to be a pervasive public health issue with approximately 11% of women experiencing rape while in college. As such, it is important to examine factors unique to college campuses that influence the occurrences of rape. Methods: Using data from 1,423 four-year universities (public and private with at…

Objective: High rates of sexual victimization among college students necessitate further study of factors associated with sexual assault risk detection. The present study examined how social information processing relates to sexual assault risk detection as a function of sexual assault victimization history. Participants: 225 undergraduates…

Recent sexual assault scandals have brought public attention to the fact that there is a need for colleges to aggressively address the issues surrounding sexual assaults on their campuses. Studies indicate that one in four women are being sexually assaulted each year, but few women report this. Women suffer major psychological issues when…