Chadwick L. Menning

Nonresident Fathering and School Failure

Does involvement by nonresident fathers affect adolescents’ propensity to remain in school? If so, is some involvement necessarily better than none, and are changes in involvement with time associated with changes in the odds of school failure? What aspects of involvement matter the most? This study uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to show that nonresident fathers’ involvement and increases in this involvement over time are associated with lower probabilities of school failure among adolescents. However, those who have no involvement with their non-resident fathers may experience lower odds of school failure than those who have low or moderate levels of involvement. Disaggregation of involvement measures into component parts suggests that increased variety of activities—especially the discussion of schoolwork, grades, or other things going on in school—is important (although not critical) to the observed effect.

Unsafe at Any House? Attendees' Perceptions of Microlevel Environmental Traits and Personal Safety at Fraternity and Nonfraternity Parties

Although there has been considerable empirical attention to the problem of dangers posed by certain college party environments, little attention has been given to attendees’ perceptions of possible danger cues in party environments, how such perceptions may be linked to concern for personal safety, or variations in perceptions of personal safety at party environments according to gender or party type (i.e., fraternity vs. nonfraternity). This study uses analyses of survey data to explore these issues. The findings suggest that (a) fraternity parties exhibit traits that may indicate greater danger; (b) some of these traits are linked to attendees’ perceptions of personal safety; (c) men and women draw on different cues in making assessments of personal safety, but women feel no more threatened than men; and (d) the amount of alcohol consumed by other party attendees is not associated with perceptions of personal safety. Implications for theory and campus policy are discussed.

Processes and Patterns in Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Sexual Assault A Multimethodological Assessment

Although prior research suggests that sexual minorities are at equivalent or greater risk of sexual assault compared with heterosexual women, few studies have examined simultaneously a broad array of assault types, the forms of force and pressure experienced, and the relative risks of experiencing different kinds of assault or force or pressure during an assault according to sex and sexual orientation. Moreover, very little is known about how subjective interpretations of assault may differ by sex and sexual orientation. We address these gaps using a multimethodological analysis of original survey data (N = 342) with a snowball oversample of sexual minority respondents. Quantitative results indicate that both sexual minority status and sex are predictive of increased assault risk of most assault types, but that most effects of sexual minority status are restricted to men. The probabilities of experiencing verbal pressure or physical force are largely uniform across categories. Qualitative analyses of open-ended questions suggest that men and women interpret the experience of assault differently, such that sexual minority men conceptualize their unwanted sexual experiences as “giving in” due to feelings of guilt or low self-worth, whereas women of all sexual orientations acquiesced because it was perceived to be easier or more practical than resisting. Theoretical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Combining Primary Prevention and Risk Reduction Approaches in Sexual Assault Protection Programming.

Abstract Objective: The object of this study is to extend prior evaluations of Elemental, a sexual assault protection program that combines primary prevention and risk reduction strategies within a single program. Participants and Methods: During 2012 and 2013, program group and control group students completed pretest, posttest, and 6-week and 6-month follow-up surveys assessing sexual attitudes and knowledge as well as experiences with assault. Results: The results reinforce previous findings that Elemental is effective in reducing sexual assault risk. Program effects were both direct, in that participation was associated with lower risk of assault, and mediated, in that participation impacted attitudes and beliefs that are empirically linked to risk of later assault. Conclusions: By combining both primary prevention and risk reduction approaches, Elemental is not only effective at reducing incidences of assault, it is also consistent with a number of recent recommendations for directions in sexual assault prevention programming.

A New Model for Sexual Assault Protection Creation and Initial Testing of Elemental

Sexual assault self-protection programs often address either broad educational goals (e.g., alcohol awareness, gender, and safety) or are restricted to the practice of violent hands-on self-protection techniques. Enrollment is almost entirely restricted to female audiences, in spite of a high risk of assault among gay men. We describe the development of Elemental, a sexual assault protection program, wherein we undertook a sociologically grounded yet multidisciplinary approach to produce a holistic and inclusive program that teaches a variety of response options, including nonviolent physical and verbal techniques. Through the use of survey data from program participants and a control group, we present results of initial longitudinal tests of the efficacy of the program. Directions for further testing and development are discussed.