Teen Dating Violence in New Hampshire: Who Is Most at Risk?

In this brief, authors Katie Edwards and Angela Neal discuss the results of a study examining how demographic characteristics such as sexual orientation, school characteristics such as the school poverty rate, and community characteristics such as the population density of the county relate to the possibility that a New Hampshire teen will be the victim of dating violence. The study included 24,976 high school students at least 13 years old who participated in the 2013 New Hampshire Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The authors report that nearly one in ten New Hampshire teens reported being the victim of physical dating violence during the past year, and more than one in ten New Hampshire teens reported being the victim of sexual dating violence during the past year. Being female, a racial/ethnic minority, or a sexual minority significantly increased the risk of sexual and physical dating violence victimization. They conclude that more research and community conversations are needed about how to ensure that all teens in New Hampshire have access to comprehensive violence prevention initiatives in all grade levels that include a focus on diversity and inclusivity, positive youth development (for example, the sense of mattering and purpose), and structural inequities (such as poverty)

Katie Edwards, Assistant Professor of Psychology, COLA travels to South Africa and Kenya

Prof. Edwards travelled to Africa to learn more about the innovative sexual violence prevention work happening across the African continent and to discuss similarities and differences in violence prevention in South Africa and the U.S

Intimate partner violence among LGBTQ+ college students

Drawing from a survey of 391 college students in same-sex relationships, this brief documents the rates and patterns of intimate partner violence, and responses to it among LGBTQ+ youth. Authors Katie Edwards and Kateryna Sylaska report that four in ten LGBTQ+ college students in the sample reported intimate partner violence victimization or perpetration within a current relationship and that more than one-third of the victims told no one about the abuse, a rate that is higher than what is generally found among heterosexual college students. Victims most frequently turned to friends when revealing the abuse, followed by family members. Only 9 percent turned to formal supports such as counselors. LGBTQ+ adolescents and young adults are frequently “invisible in mainstream student programs,” and intimate partner violence prevention programs are no exception. The authors conclude that it is critical that college campus programming, policies, and services, including those that are specific to intimate partner violence, strive to be inclusive of LGBTQ+ students

Institutional Title IX Requirements for Researchers Conducting Human Subjects Research on Sexual Violence and other Forms of Interpersonal Violence

The purpose of this white paper is to provide guidance on how university and college Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) and IRB administrators can oversee, and researchers can conduct, research investigating the different aspects of Sexual Violence and other forms of Interpersonal Violence

Correlates of Help-Seeking Following Stalking Victimization: A Study of College Women

The current study explored factors related to college women’s coping processes associated with stalking using an online survey methodology. Results (N= 305 college women reporting stalking victimization within the last three years) showed that 85% of women disclosed their stalking experiences most commonly to female friends. Additionally, women used a variety of coping mechanisms in response to their stalking victimization; although avoiding thinking about or acting on the stalking experience were the most common strategies, victims rated direct forms of coping as more effective in deterring the stalking behavior. Women’s coping responses to stalking were related to a number of personal (e.g., hypergender ideologies), relational (e.g., social support), and assault characteristic (e.g., stalking frequency, self-blame) variables. These data underscore the importance of programs and services aimed towards supporting survivors’ coping from stalking victimization

Peripheral Biomarkers of Inflammation Following Blast Exposure in a Clinical Population

Concussions resulting from blast exposures represent a significant source of injury among military service members and the civilian population. Overall, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a significant cause of hospitalization, disability, long-term care, and mortality across all age groups in the United States. Blast induced traumatic brain injury (biTBI) is an increasingly recognized subtype of brain injury, especially among military personnel. Blast exposure may influence a number of neurological processes, such as the inflammatory response, representing a unique biological profile. Outcomes from a TBI vary, even in similar injuries, and biomarkers including proteins and gene expression are increasingly studied to determine potential underlying mechanisms of injury and recovery processes. Biomarkers may yield insight into differential biological pathways in the various severities and subtypes of brain injury. This novel study proposes the examination of clinical and demographic characteristics and the identification of possible biological mechanisms through gene expression and protein analysis following brain injury. This study will be the first to examine gene expression related to inflammatory activation using sequencing and other unique methods to gain insight into immune pathways following blast exposure in clinical populations during the acute and subacute stages of injury. A deeper understanding of the role of inflammatory activation profiles will help direct future research in blast exposure and improve outcomes for individuals affected by this injury

Women\u27s risk perception and sexual victimization: A review of the literature

This article reviews empirical and theoretical studies that examined the relationship between risk perception and sexual victimization in women. Studies examining women\u27s general perceptions of risk for sexual assault as well as their ability to identify and respond to threat in specific situations are reviewed. Theoretical discussions of the optimistic bias and cognitive–ecological models of risk recognition are discussed in order to account for findings in the literature. Implications for interventions with women as well as recommendations for future research are provided