Sexual assault of women is common on college campuses, but the vast majority of victims do not make a formal report. It is imperative to understand these decisions to help design and implement policies to normalize and encourage reporting. This study aimed to extend science on the thematic reasons for non-reporting by (1) establishing validity for…

Human trafficking is a transnational crime that counselors must be prepared to address through advocacy efforts and within therapeutic settings. The present study sought to examine whether sex trafficking attitudes were different in counselors based on training specialization, workplace setting, biological sex, and previous human trafficking…

The feminist movements Me Too and Time's Up have showcased the power of the audiovisual industry and social networks denouncing sexual harassment and promoting gender equality. Nevertheless, women in the media --and, specifically, on TV-- continue to be underrepresented and stereotyped. Then, according to Time's Up, it is urgent to increase the…

The present study aimed to determine whether greater levels of mobile connectivity, such as that afforded by campus safety apps, are associated with lower levels of bystander intervention into campus sexual assault incidents. We employed an experimental vignette design with a sample of college students to determine whether greater levels of mobile…

Given the prevalence of sexual assault and intimate partner violence in adolescence and young adulthood, it is critical to understand how content on these topics is integrated into school-based sex education as a potential intervention point. However, little research has evaluated how formal sex education on sexual assault and intimate partner…

Objective: To assess perceptions of university institutional climate related to sexual violence and whether these differed by race/ethnicity. Participants: Matriculated undergraduates > age 18 (n = 1028). Methods: Students were invited via campus email to participate in an online survey. Results: Overall, only 20% agreed that the university is…

Introduction: Gender-based violence is a worldwide problem. School-based socio-educational interventions could be effective in preventing gender-based violence. We assessed the effectiveness of the "Let's focus!" program, aimed at health and equitable interpersonal relationships among high school students. Methods: We conducted a…

The sexual abuse and prostitution of Black women is a system of oppression that has its foundation in slavery and is still embedded in the culture of the U.S. This ongoing practice of domination, racism, sexism, and class exploitation is at work daily in the lives of Black women. Some of the harsh conditions of today that limit choice and…

This dissertation offers an ethnographic exploration of higher education sexual violence prevention initiatives through the perspectives of professional staff whose mission is to counter what many call a pandemic of sexual violence. Central to my examination are the emic theories and language ideologies underlying prevention professionals'…

Human trafficking is a phenomenon linked to several forms of exploitation, such as sexual exploitation, forced labour, forced marriage, begging, forced criminal activity, or organ removal. There are different debates about a potential overrepresentation of some of these exploitation purposes, such as the sexual one, in the discourses underlying…

Objective: This study examined whether the use of party-safety strategies weakens the association between frequency of party attendance and sexual victimization among first-year female college students. Participants: First-year female college students (n = 450) from three universities in the United States participated in this study. Methods:…

Universities have attempted to address sexual violence on campuses through various prevention programs, including bystander intervention. Unfortunately, the extant literature on bystander intervention has primarily focused on bystander characteristics. Little is known about how situational characteristics affect the likelihood of intervening…

Community violence has been identified as a pressing public health crisis in the United States. A wealth of research establishes robust connections between youth's exposure to community violence and an array of negative psychological outcomes. In this article, we argue that developmental scientists need to adopt a more expansive definition of…

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…

This dissertation examines the important affective labor of diverse feminist activists and sexual assault survivor advocates and contributes a theory of feminist affective resistance. I define feminist affective resistance as the transformative rhetorics and literacy practices feminists employ to challenge dominant pedagogies of emotion while…