Willingness to Report Sexual Victimization among U.S. Military Academy Cadets and Midshipmen

• In Event: Reporting Sexual Victimization and Assault

Abstract

The Department of Defense (2012) reports that less than 20% of cadets and midshipmen at the U.S. military academies report their sexual victimization experiences to military authorities. Further, findings from surveys of cadets and midshipmen indicate that the majority perceives that a large amount of sexual victimization at the academies is unreported by victims (DOD, 2012). Some past research on cadets and midshipmen suggests that underreporting is greatly influenced by such factors as the victims’ fear of reprisal, concern for being shunned by peers, and the belief that the military chain of command would fail to respond to the incident (GAO, 1995; Bastian et al., 1996). Despite knowledge on the underreporting of sexual victimization at the military academies, few studies have conducted multivariate analyses to explore in detail which individual- and military-related factors contribute to this behavior. Utilizing self-report data from the 2005 Service Academy Sexual Assault Survey of Cadets and Midshipmen (n = 5,220), this study examines how past sexual victimization experiences, demographic characteristics, academy climate, and perceptions of leadership influence cadets’ and midshipmen’s willingness to report sexual assaults to military and non-military organizations.

Authors

• Heidi L. Scherer, Kennesaw State University

• Jamie A. Snyder, University of West Florida

• Bonnie Fisher, University of Cincinnati