Campus Sexual Violence and Student Mental Health

• In Event: Special Topics in Counseling

Abstract

This study examined whether levels of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress were related to the types and forms of sexual violence reported by university students. Female identified undergraduates (N=934) responded to an online survey about their mental health and their experiences of sexual violence on campus. Questions about sexual violence included types of sexual behaviours experienced and methods of coercion or tactics used. The results revealed that women who experienced sexual violence reported significantly more negative mental health symptoms than women who did not report sexual violence. The results further found that the type of sexual violence experienced as well as the method of coercion used were differentially associated with mental health symptoms.

Authors

• Lana Stermac, University of Toronto-Toronto, Canada

• Jenna Cripps, Univeristy of Toronto

• Touraj Amiri, University of Toronto

• Rebecca West, University of Toronto