Characteristics of precollege sexual violence victimization and associations with sexual violence revictimization during college

Abstract

Objective: To examine the prevalence and characteristics of precollege sexual victimization (SV) experiences and associations with revictimization and recent substance use behaviors among a sample of college students who reported precollege SV. Participants: A sub-sample of 931 college students who reported precollege SV at baseline data collection for an ongoing multi-site clinical trial. Methods: Data were collected via electronic surveys between September 2015 and March 2017. Measures included precollege and during college SV, recent substance use, and alcohol-related harm reduction behaviors. Results: Precollege SV characteristics associated with revictimization included: Nonpenile penetration (aOR: 1.51, 95%CI: 1.04–2.19); pressured sex (aOR: 1.46, 95%CI: 1.06–2.01); and stranger assault (aOR: 2.03, 95%CI: 1.22–3.40). Past 30-day binge drinking was also associated with revictimization (aOR: 1.86, 95%CI: 1.36–2.54). Conclusions: The relationship between precollege SV and alcohol, especially binge drinking, may require a more integrated approach to preventing subsequent revictimization.

Keywords:

• Sexual assault
• alcohol
• harm reduction

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the entire research team for their dedication to this work. We would also like to thank our campus partners and student participants for sharing their expertise and experiences to make this work possible.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health R01AA023260. JCA and CDC were supported by T32HD087162. JCA was supported by K23AA027288 RWSC was supported by TL1TR001858. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views of the National Institutes of Health. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.