Factors Associated with Sexual Assault Police Reporting and Victim Service Utilization Among College-Enrolled Emerging Adults

• In Event: Sexual Assault and Intimate Partner Violence Among College Students in the U.S.: A Closer Look at Prevalence, Impact, and Characteristics of Reporting

Abstract

Sexual assault is highly prevalent among college students in the U.S.; however, scant research exists on the characteristics of sexual assault police reporting and victim service utilization specifically among college students, which may be different than sexual assault reporting and service utilization in the general population. Furthermore, little is known about the factors associated with sexual assault police reporting and service utilization among college-enrolled emerging adults (i.e. students ages 18-29) and students enrolled in vocational and trade schools compared to students enrolled in traditional college and university settings. Data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (1992-2014) were used to identify incidents of sexual assault (completed and attempted forcible rape and unwanted sexual contact with and without force). Binary logistic regressions were conducted to model associations between characteristics of police reporting and characteristics of victim service utilization. Younger students were less likely to report sexual assault incidents to police than older students. Students attending colleges/universities were more likely to report sexual assault to police than students attending vocational/trade schools. A total of 30% (n = 62) of students reported having a bystander present during a sexual assault incident. Implications for campus-based interventions at both traditional and vocational/trade schools will be discussed.

Authors

• Melissa Bessaha, Stony Brook University

• Lisa Fedina, MSW, University of Maryland, Baltimore

• Bethany Backes, USDOJ's National Institute of Justice