Christine H. Lindquist

Women's Sexual Orientations and Their Experiences of Sexual Assault Before and During University

PURPOSEnWe sought to examine relationships between womens sexual orientations and their sexual assault experiences before and during university.nnnMETHODSnSelf-reported responses on a web-based survey of 5,439 female undergraduates who participated in the Campus Sexual Assault study were analyzed to compare three groups: bisexuals, lesbians, and heterosexuals. Groups were compared in terms of the prevalence of sexual assault before and during university, and the extent to which sexual assault before university predicted sexual assault during university.nnnFINDINGSnThe prevalence of sexual assault before and during university was higher among bisexuals and lesbians compared with heterosexuals (25.4% of bisexuals, 22.4% of lesbians, and 10.7% of heterosexuals were sexually assaulted before university; 24.0% of bisexuals, 17.9% of lesbians, and 13.3% of heterosexuals were sexually assaulted during university). Sexual assault before university was highly predictive of sexual assault during university, especially among non-heterosexuals. Compared with heterosexuals not sexually assaulted before university (the referent group), previously assaulted non-heterosexuals (bisexuals/lesbians) had eight times the odds of sexual assault during university (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 8.75), whereas previously assaulted heterosexuals had four times the odds of sexual assault during university (AOR, 4.40). However, there was no difference in the odds of sexual assault during university between non-heterosexuals not sexually assaulted before university and heterosexuals not sexually assaulted before university.nnnCONCLUSIONnBisexual and lesbian women are more likely than heterosexual women to be sexually assaulted before and during university. Sexual assault before university is linked to sexual assault during university for all women, with this association being especially pronounced among non-heterosexuals.

The Sexual Assault of Undergraduate Women at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

Although research has shown that undergraduate women are at high risk for experiencing sexual assault, little research has been conducted with undergraduate women who are attending a historically Black college or university (HBCU). The purpose of this research is to document the prevalence of different types of sexual assault among undergraduate women at HBCUs and make comparisons to data collected from undergraduate women at non-HBCUs. Data on sexual assault victimization were collected from 3,951 undergraduate women at HBCUs using a cross-sectional, web-based survey. These data are compared to data collected from 5,446 undergraduate women at non-HBCUs using the same research methods. Findings indicate that approximately 9.7% of undergraduate women at HBCUs report experiencing a completed sexual assault since entering college. This rate is considerably lower than the comparable rate obtained from undergraduate women at non-HBCUs (13.7%). This difference seems to be associated with differences in alcohol-use frequency. Perhaps undergraduate women at HBCUs drink alcohol much less frequently and are thus less likely to be sexually assaulted when they are incapacitated and unable to provide consent. Alcohol use frequency, while controlling for other factors, seems to have an independent association with the likelihood of an undergraduate woman being sexually assaulted. Implications for the creation and delivery of sexual assault risk reduction and prevention policies and programs are discussed.

The Context and Consequences of Sexual Assault Among Undergraduate Women at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

To examine the context of sexual assault and postassault actions and consequences among women attending historically Black colleges or universities (HBCUs), web-based surveys were administered in November 2008 to 3,951 undergraduate women attending four HBCUs. Data on the context in which assaults occurred were generated for women who had been sexually assaulted since entering college (n = 358). Multivariate models were run on the full sample to examine the association between sexual assault and symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results indicated that most survivors were assaulted by assailants well known to them and when the survivor and perpetrator were drinking alcohol. Very few survivors disclosed their experiences to formal sources of support. Survivors had significantly more symptoms of depression and were more likely to screen positive for PTSD than nonvictims. Further research on disclosure and its moderating role on the mental health consequences of sexual assault is needed.

An Exploration of Treatment and Supervision Intensity Among Drug Court and Non-Drug Court Participants

Evidence is accumulating that drug court programs appear effective in reducing the substance use and recidivism of drug-involved offenders. As there is no single drug court model, programs vary from site to site and the extent to which individual programs are fully implemented is not well documented. The extent to which drug court programs deliver more extensive services to individual offenders than to comparable individuals not participating in drug courts is also not well understood. This paper presents an exploratory analysis of the supervision and treatment delivered to a sample of individuals participating in drug courts in Broward and Hillsborough counties, Florida, and to a sample of comparable drug-involved individuals who were sentenced to probation. Data are from in-person interviews conducted shortly after program entry and nine months following the “baseline” interview. Results suggest that the intensity of supervision and the likelihood of treatment were greater for those involved in drug court programs.

Factors Associated with Incidents of Sexual Assault among Undergraduate Women at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Abstract Despite high rates of sexual assault among undergraduate women and evidence that the prevalence of sexual assault varies by race, virtually nothing is known about sexual assault experiences of undergraduate women who attend a historically black college or university (HBCU). The present study addresses this gap in the literature by examining factors associated with experiencing sexual assault victimization among HBCU women. Findings suggest that the factors associated with sexual assault among HBCU women are similar to those found in prior research of women at predominantly white universities and that some risk factors are differentially associated with experiencing specific types of sexual assault.

Disclosure of sexual assault experiences among undergraduate women at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs)

ABSTRACT Objective: To document the sexual assault disclosure experiences of historically black college or university (HBCU) students. Participants: A total of 3,951 female, undergraduate students at 4 HBCUs. Methods: All women at the participating schools were recruited in November 2008 to participate in a Web-based survey including both closed- and open-ended questions. Survey data were weighted for nonresponse bias. Results: The majority of sexual assault survivors disclosed their experience to someone close to them, but disclosure to formal supports, particularly law enforcement agencies, was extremely rare. Nonreporters had concerns about the seriousness of the incident and their privacy. On the basis of qualitative data, strategies identified by students to increase reporting included more education and awareness about sexual assault, more survivor services and alternative mechanisms for reporting, and better strategies for protecting the confidentiality of survivors. Conclusions: Official sexual assault victimization data are of limited utility in conveying the extent of sexual assault among HBCU students, and efforts to increase reporting, such as peer education and enhanced confidentiality procedures, are needed.

Postprison relationship dissolution and intimate partner violence: Separation-instigated violence or violence-instigated separation?

Abstract Prior work suggests that partner violence may occur in the context of relationship dissolution among couples in which the male partner is reentering from prison. Using longitudinal data from 666 reentering men and their female partners, we found that couples who were no longer romantically involved were more likely to report violence in the relationship at reentry than those who were. Among those who broke up, 28% of women and 10% of men reported violence as a reason. Men who reported IPV in their relationships were less likely to report being in a romantic relationship with their study partner at the next survey wave than those who did not.

Whose punishment, whose crime? Understanding parenting and partnership in a time of mass incarceration

ABSTRACT Parenting and romantic partnership changes and challenges that occur in the context of incarceration are not yet fully understood, in part due to longstanding limitations in available data on the family lives of justice-involved individuals. This article reviews that prior work and introduces a set of new contributions in this volume of findings from the Multisite Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting, and Partnering (MFS-IP). The MFS-IP study brings new insight on parenting and partnership during incarceration and reentry, using longitudinal data collected from 2008–2015 with 1,482 committed romantic or coparenting couples in which the male partner was incarcerated at baseline.