Campus-Level Variation in the Prevalence of Student Experiences of Sexual Assault and Intimate Partner Violence

• In Event: Victimization in College Contexts

Abstract

The prevalence rate of sexual assault and intimate partner violence varies across campuses, but researchers have rarely explored how campus level factors may be associated with prevalence rates. In this study, institutional characteristics, student body characteristics, and other student body related contextual factors are used to predict campus rates of intimate partner violence and sexual assault. Using data from 474 campuses that administered the National College Health Assessment between Spring 2011 and Fall 2015, we conducted hierarchical linear regression models to assess which campus level variables significantly predicted campus rates of sexual assault and intimate partner violence. The strongest predictors of higher campus sexual assault rates include higher campus rates of binge drinking, higher proportions of sexual minority students, lower student mean age, and higher proportions of students reporting experiences of discrimination. The strongest campus-level predictors of higher intimate partner violence rates include greater average number of sexual partners, lower rates of binge drinking, older students, and lower proportions of full time students. Identification of campus level factors that are associated with higher risk suggests both that campuses may have varying needs and that prevention should also address campus risk and protective factors, in addition to typical individual-level prevention approaches.

Authors

• Carrie Moylan, Michigan State University

• McKenzie Javorka, Michigan State University

• Rebecca Stotzer, University of Hawaii

• Deborah Bybee, Michigan State University

• Melanie Carlson, Michigan State University