Sexual Assault Victimization, Perpetration, and Associated Beliefs Among High-Risk Groups On College Campuses

Alzalde, Andrea

Publication

Sexual Assault Victimization, Perpetration, and Associated Beliefs Among High-Risk Groups On College Campuses

Alzalde, Andrea

Description

Sexual assault is a pervasive problem that poses a perpetual threat towards those who occupy college campuses, particularly towards the female student population. Past research has helped to reveal the occurrence of high sexual assault rates and the Rape Myth Acceptance (RMA) that accompanies sexual assault among college campuses, but less research has examined members of potentially high-risk groups such as Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) members among college campuses. The purpose of this secondary analysis study was to explore data gathered from a recently conducted Sexual Misconduct Campus Climate Survey to assess disparities among prevalence rates at the University of Wyoming, and to analyze the beliefs associated with sexual assault between high-risk groups and the general college population. The current research considers high-risk student groups to include previously identified groups (i.e., sororities, fraternities, athletic teams) as well as a group that may be at increased risk for assault (i.e., ROTC). Consistent with prior research, I predicted higher rates of sexual assault victimization, perpetration, alongside higher reports of RMA among high-risk groups. Although there is not much research that has specifically explored ROTC members, I predicted that members of this group will report elevated rates due to the high incidence of sexual assault in the military and military service academies. Findings from the present study suggest that the hypothesized higher victimization and perpetration rates of sexual assault exist and are associated with higher reports of rape myth acceptance, particularly among ROTC members.