A Descriptive Analysis of College Students’ Experiences of Female-Perpetrated Sexual Assault

The current study sought to explore the experiences of college students who have experienced female-perpetrated sexual assault, and to compare their experiences to those of students assaulted by male perpetrators. A total of 11,165 college students across 11 years completed an online, anonymous surv...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Gambardella, Gianna (Author) ; Benz, Madeline (Author) ; Hines, Denise A. (Author) ; Palm Reed, Kathleen M. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: [2020]
In: Journal of contemporary criminal justice
Year: 2020, Volume: 36, Issue: 4, Pages: 520-538
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
College campuses
Female perpetrators
interpersonal violence
Rape
sexual assault
Description
Summary:The current study sought to explore the experiences of college students who have experienced female-perpetrated sexual assault, and to compare their experiences to those of students assaulted by male perpetrators. A total of 11,165 college students across 11 years completed an online, anonymous survey measuring self-reports of sexual violence, context surrounding their victimization, help-seeking, and well-being. Of the students surveyed, 531 students reported experiencing sexual assault and identified both their own gender and the gender of their perpetrator, and 14% reported having experienced female-perpetrated sexual assault. Victims of female perpetrators were more likely to report their perpetrator being an (ex)intimate partner and less likely to be a stranger. Victims of female perpetrators were also more likely to report that their victimization involved their own drug use. Overall, victims of female-perpetrated sexual assault were less likely to tell anyone about their victimization, or to report to on- or off-campus resources. Finally, our findings suggest that victims of female perpetrators have comparable well-being to victims of male perpetrators. These finding contribute to the overall understanding of female-perpetrated sexual assault.
ISSN:1552-5406
DOI:10.1177/1043986220936077