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
