Pre-College and In-College Factors Related to Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment (SVSH) on University Campuses

Background and objective: The overarching goal of the proposed dissertation is to assess how pre-college and in-college factors are related to students’ experiences of sexual violence and sexual harassment (SVSH) while in college. Findings from the proposed work will inform the design and development of violence prevention strategies tailored to educational institutions (K-12, colleges and universities) and to address the needs of students. Diverse student populations were considered, as research shows women (1), students of color (2), students living with disabilities (3), lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other (LGBTQ+) populations (1, 4) and international students (5) are at increased risk of experiencing SVSH during college. Methods: This dissertation utilized three unique data sets. Paper one utilized a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study design to describe differences in pre-college formal and informal sex education content and sources reported between LGBTQ+ and heterosexual undergraduate students at three public universities and assessed the perceived usefulness of sex education and responsivity to LGBTQ+ needs. Paper two utilized a cross-sectional data set derived from a sexual violence campus climate survey in order to determine the sociodemographic factors associated with engaging in bystander behavior, including gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, students with SVSH histories and those with intersecting identities. Paper three focused on determining the prevalence of SVSH across demographic groups (e.g., gender, sexual orientation, relationship status), what types of SVSH-related help-seeking (e.g., formal, school-based, informal) were most common, and what types of SVSH and demographic factors were associated with help-seeking using cross sectional data derived from a diverse group of Moi University students in Kenya. Results: Overall, results highlight the importance of student identity and past experiences (e.g., identifying as s survivor of SVSH) on SVSH experiences, prevention and help-seeking. Conclusions: Public health experts and violence prevention researchers have called for SVSH prevention programs, policies and research that are proactive, socio-culturally relevant and focus both on specific, diverse populations and intersectionality. More work is needed to evaluate and expand SVSH prevention and response on university campuses using these guidelines in the US and abroad

Exploring intimate partner violence among pregnant Eswatini women seeking antenatal care: How agency and food security impact violence-related outcomes

Women with agency (i.e. the ability to make choices and act on them) may experience reduced food insecurity (FI) and intimate partner violence (IPV). Reducing FI and IPV among women are global goals; however, research focused on agency among Eswatini women has been overlooked, though they experience high rates of FI and IPV. We analysed cross-sectional data from 406 Swazi women who sought care at one rural and one urban-public antenatal clinic in 2013-2014 to understand how FI and agency, our independent variables, are associated with IPV. We assessed the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of number of violent events (including emotional, physical and sexual IPV) in the previous 12 months using Poisson regressions. We found significant relationships between FI and IPV, where higher levels of FI were associated with IPV risk (weekly: IRR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.82-2.61; Daily: IRR = 3.53, 95% CI = 2.89-4.32) and constrained agency increased women's risk of IPV (IRR = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.22-1.70). Our findings suggest that FI and agency independently impact women's experience(s) of IPV. Interventions focused on women simultaneously experiencing severe FI and constrained agency may have the highest impact; however, providing focused and moderate FI relief (e.g. reducing FI daily to monthly) could potentially reduce women's risk of experiencing violence

Exploring intimate partner violence among pregnant Eswatini women seeking antenatal care: How agency and food security impact violence-related outcomes

Women with agency (i.e. the ability to make choices and act on them) may experience reduced food insecurity (FI) and intimate partner violence (IPV). Reducing FI and IPV among women are global goals; however, research focused on agency among Eswatini women has been overlooked, though they experience high rates of FI and IPV. We analysed cross-sectional data from 406 Swazi women who sought care at one rural and one urban–public antenatal clinic in 2013–2014 to understand how FI and agency, our independent variables, are associated with IPV. We assessed the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of number of violent events (including emotional, physical and sexual IPV) in the previous 12 months using Poisson regressions. We found significant relationships between FI and IPV, where higher levels of FI were associated with IPV risk (weekly: IRR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.82–2.61; Daily: IRR = 3.53, 95% CI = 2.89–4.32) and constrained agency increased women's risk of IPV (IRR = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.22–1.70). Our findings suggest that FI and agency independently impact women's experience(s) of IPV. Interventions focused on women simultaneously experiencing severe FI and constrained agency may have the highest impact; however, providing focused and moderate FI relief (e.g. reducing FI daily to monthly) could potentially reduce women's risk of experiencing violence

Graduate students' knowledge and utilization of campus sexual violence and sexual harassment resources.

Graduate students are uniquely vulnerable to sexual violence and harassment (SVSH) and largely marginalized in campus-based prevention and response efforts. Objective: This study is a preliminary investigation of graduate students' experiences with on-campus SVSH training and knowledge and utilization of SVSH resources. Methods: We conducted 21 in-depth interviews and 8 focus group discussions with 43 graduate students on three public university campuses in California. Results: Graduate students had limited knowledge of SVSH services, and mandatory SVSH training curricula was perceived to center around "responsible employee" duties rather than information about how to prevent or seek help for SVSH themselves. Graduate students had mixed experiences seeking SVSH-related assistance. Conclusions: Graduate students should be prioritized in SVSH prevention and education efforts beyond required responsible employee training. Graduate students are invaluable to the everyday success of universities; accounting for their vulnerabilities in SVSH prevention and response is vital for campus communities everywhere

Graduate students' knowledge and utilization of campus sexual violence and sexual harassment resources.

Graduate students are uniquely vulnerable to sexual violence and harassment (SVSH) and largely marginalized in campus-based prevention and response efforts. Objective: This study is a preliminary investigation of graduate students' experiences with on-campus SVSH training and knowledge and utilization of SVSH resources. Methods: We conducted 21 in-depth interviews and 8 focus group discussions with 43 graduate students on three public university campuses in California. Results: Graduate students had limited knowledge of SVSH services, and mandatory SVSH training curricula was perceived to center around "responsible employee" duties rather than information about how to prevent or seek help for SVSH themselves. Graduate students had mixed experiences seeking SVSH-related assistance. Conclusions: Graduate students should be prioritized in SVSH prevention and education efforts beyond required responsible employee training. Graduate students are invaluable to the everyday success of universities; accounting for their vulnerabilities in SVSH prevention and response is vital for campus communities everywhere

Structural Barriers to Accessing the Campus Assault Resources and Education (CARE) Offices at the University of California (UC) Campuses.

In order to continue pushing college campuses to the forefront of survivor-centered practice and student-centered care, it is imperative that the barriers students experience in accessing campus sexual violence resource centers be documented and addressed. This research evaluates student and staff perceptions of barriers to accessing the Campus Assault Resources and Education (CARE) offices on three University of California (UC) campuses. Data were collected by researchers from UC Speaks Up, a cross-campus research initiative at UC Los Angeles (UCLA), UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), and UC San Diego (UCSD) aimed at understanding factors that both contribute to and prevent sexual violence among college students. This analysis only included data that yielded insights into CARE's accessibility. Thematic analysis of 63 interviews and 27 focus group discussions was conducted using Dedoose. The following six thematic codes emerged from the data: (1) awareness of office, (2) confidentiality of services, (3) physical accessibility, (4) accessibility for vulnerable and marginalized groups, (5) utilization experiences, and (6) limited institutional support. To increase the accessibility of sexual violence resource centers in higher education, this study indicates that universities and campus sexual violence resource centers should (1) encourage survivor-centered cross-campus collaborations between sexual violence resource centers and other campus entries, (2) add more trainings that are tailored to the needs of vulnerable and marginalized communities, (3) increase the resource's campus-wide office exposure through multiple prevention education opportunities, and (4) better fund sexual violence resource centers. Implications for future research are discussed to maximize this study's public health impact