Christopher T. Allen

Gender Symmetry, Sexism, and Intimate Partner Violence

This study of a predominantly Hispanic sample of 92 male and 140 female college students examines both gender symmetry in intimate partner violence (IPV) and inconsistent relationships found in previous studies between sexist attitudes and IPV. Results indicate that although comparable numbers of men and women perpetrate and are victimized in their relationships with intimate partners, the path models suggest that women’s violence tends to be in reaction to male violence, whereas men tend to initiate violence and then their partners respond with violence. Benevolent sexism was shown to have a protective effect against men’s violence toward partners. Findings highlight the importance of studying women’s violence not only in the context of men’s violence but also within a broader sociocultural context.

College Students’ Beliefs Regarding Help Seeking for Male and Female Sexual Assault Survivors: Even Less Support for Male Survivors

This study explored college students’ perceptions regarding barriers to disclosure of sexual assault and helpfulness of campus resources for survivors of sexual assault. To better understand barriers and social reactions to disclosure of sexual assault, it is important to examine peer perceptions of barriers and resources for assault survivors. A total of 475 undergraduate students estimated the frequency with which various barriers prevent sexual assault disclosure and rated the helpfulness of several campus resources for both male and female survivors. Students perceived that barriers to disclosure were more likely to prevent men than women from telling someone they were assaulted and seeking help. Students also believed that campus resources are more helpful for female than male survivors. Students’ negative perceptions of disclosure and help seeking for male survivors indicate that more education regarding the sexual assault of males and inclusive outreach is needed.

Comprehension of Sexual Consent as a Key Factor in the Perpetration of Sexual Aggression Among College Men

The comprehension of sexual consent is a crucial factor in healthy sexual relationships. This study examined the connection between the understanding of sexual consent and perpetration of sexual aggression. We surveyed 217 heterosexual male college students (M age = 20.9 years) using measures of sexual aggression, comprehension of sexual consent, rape myth acceptance, conformity to masculine norms, peer support of abuse, and attachment to abusive peers. We tested models examining factors related to comprehension of consent and the extent to which comprehension of consent was related to perpetration of sexual aggression. Rape myth acceptance, peer support of abuse, and conformity to masculine norms were found to predict comprehension of consent, which mediated the relationship between the social and cognitive variables and sexual aggression.

A Global Exploratory Analysis of Men Participating in Gender-Based Violence Prevention

Organizations addressing gender-based violence (GBV) increasingly include men as partners in prevention efforts. However, little is known about men who get involved in those efforts and what specific actions they take. We present analyses of data from an international sample of men involved in gender-based prevention work that aimed to describe (a) the nature of participants’ involvement in prevention efforts, in both formal programming and in their daily lives; (b) characteristics of engaged men, including gender and bystander-related attitudes and beliefs, and social networks; and (c) factors that sustain men’s involvement in GBV movements over time. Comparisons across global regions for these variables were also conducted. A total of 379 male-identified participants above 18 who had attended a GBV event in the past year completed an online survey (available in English, French, and Spanish). Respondents represented all continents except Antarctica, although North America was over-represented in the sample. Overall, respondents scored well above North American norms for men on support for gender equality and recognition of male privilege, and this was true across all geographic regions. Men in all regions reported moderate support from friends and somewhat less support from male relatives for their involvement in GBV prevention. Respondents in all regions reported high levels of active bystander and violence-preventive behavior. The most commonly reported motivations for involvement in GBV prevention included concern for related social justice issues, exposure to the issue of violence through work, hearing a moving story, or disclosures about domestic or sexual violence. Results were mainly similar across regions, but when regional differences emerge, they tended to be contrasts between the global north and global south, highlighting the importance of cross-fertilization across regions and a willingness to adapt critical learnings in new geographic settings.

Getting men in the room: perceptions of effective strategies to initiate men’s involvement in gender-based violence prevention in a global sample

Abstract As engaging men in gender-based violence prevention efforts becomes an increasingly institutionalised component of gender equity work globally, clarity is needed about the strategies that best initiate male-identified individuals’ involvement in these efforts. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived relevance and effectiveness of men’s engagement strategies from the perspective of men around the world who have organised or attended gender-based violence prevention events. Participants responded to an online survey (available in English, French and Spanish) and rated the effectiveness of 15 discrete engagement strategies derived from earlier qualitative work. Participants also provided suggestions regarding strategies in open-ended comments. Listed strategies cut across the social ecological spectrum and represented both venues in which to reach men, and the content of violence prevention messaging. Results suggest that all strategies, on average, were perceived as effective across regions of the world, with strategies that tailor messaging to topics of particular concern to men (such as fatherhood and healthy relationships) rated most highly. Open-ended comments also surfaced tensions, particularly related to the role of a gender analysis in initial men’s engagement efforts. Findings suggest the promise of cross-regional adaptation and information sharing regarding successful approaches to initiating men’s anti-violence involvement.

Individual, behavioral, and situational correlates of the drugging victimization experiences of college women:

Interest in “drugging” has increased, with much focus on drugging victimization within the context of sexual assault and particularly among college students. This study uses data from the Campus Sexual Assault (CSA) Study and the Historically Black College and University Campus Sexual Assault (HBCU-CSA) Study to explore college women’s drugging victimization experiences beyond those limited to drug-facilitated sexual assault. We draw on a lifestyle-exposure/routine activity theory approach to personal victimization integrated with scholarship on gendered opportunities and the campus party culture to examine the individual, behavioral, and situational characteristics embedded in the campus environment that place college women at increased risks of being drugged. We pay particular attention to cultural and institutional differences shaping experiences and risks at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Findings show that 5% and 4% of women at PWIs and HBCUs, respectively, report drugging victimization and that exposure to risky situations (e.g., fraternity party attendance) is a risk factor primarily for women at PWIs.

What Motivates Men’s Involvement in Gender-based Violence Prevention? Latent Class Profiles and Correlates in an International Sample of Men

Data from an international sample of 392 men who had attended gender-based violence (GBV) prevention events were used to examine motivations for involvement in GBV prevention work. Participants responded to an online survey (available in English, French, and Spanish). The most commonly reported reasons for involvement included concern for related social justice issues (87 percent), exposure to the issue of violence through work (70 percent), hearing a moving story about domestic or sexual violence (59 percent), and disclosure of abuse from someone close to the participant (55 percent). Using a latent class analysis, we identified four profiles of men’s motivations: low personal connection (22 percent), empathetic connection (26 percent), violence exposed connection (23 percent), and high personal and empathetic connection (29 percent). Participants classified into these profiles did not differ in length of movement involvement but some differences on key ally variables and by global region did emerge. Implications for engagement strategies and future research are discussed.

Beyond Difference: Gender as a Quality of Social Settings

The particular question we take up in this chapter is how can we help move psychological science beyond a “difference” paradigm to incorporate more nuanced understandings of gender. Grounded in social ecological concepts, we emphasize how gender can get embedded in and expressed by the various social settings we inhabit over the course of our lives. We build upon a framework proposed by Bond and Wasco (Gender as context: A framework for understanding and addressing gendered qualities of settings. In: Handbook of community psychology. American Psychological Association, in press) that suggests that gender inequality can become embedded in social settings to the extent that (1) there is an emphasis on discrete gender categories, (2) system dynamics establish different universes of alternatives by gender, (3) one gender group is privileged over the others by considering it normative, and (4) inequity is legitimized and obscured by ignoring the ways that differential access to power and resources—historical and current—is affected by gender. These four dynamics are referred to as setting qualities. Further, specific setting practices that both result from and contribute to the four setting qualities further embed gendered meanings into the ongoing functioning of settings. These practices include the ways in which settings (1) are structured, (2) shape transactional patterns, and (3) communicate values. We illustrate the framework by describing how it can be applied to the issue of sexual assault on college campuses, and we conclude with thoughts on how to disrupt problematic practices. While we address this challenge from the vantage point of community psychology research and action, we hope that the framework can also be useful to other sub-fields of psychology.

A Comparison of the Structural Factors of the Propensity for Abusiveness Scale for Women and Men in a Domestic Violence Treatment Program

Court-mandated domestic violence (DV) treatment programs across the country have seen a marked increase in female clients. These programs use a variety of measurement tools to assess the needs of their clients. Increased numbers of women in treatment for DV reflect a need to address the measurement of intimate partner violence (IPV) for both males and females. Unfortunately, the reliability and validity of many of measures used to assess IPV and related constructs for women remains unknown. The current study focuses on a particular measure, the Propensity for Abusiveness Scale (PAS). The PAS is not a measure of abusive behavior per se; rather, it assesses risk factors for abuse, including affective lability, anger expression, trauma symptoms, and harsh parenting experienced by the respondent. Specifically, the current study compares the factor structure and the measurement properties of the PAS for males and females in a sample of 885 (647 female, 238 male) participants in a DV treatment program. Findings indicate that the PAS demonstrated configural, metric, and scalar invariance between the female and male samples. These results suggest that it is appropriate for researchers and clinicians to make comparisons between women and men based on PAS factor scores.

Examining Men’s Perceptions of GBV Prevention Programming Content:

As global efforts to engage men in preventing gender-based violence (GBV) continue to grow, understanding male participants’ perceptions of prevention events is needed. Data from a global sample of 319 men who had attended GBV prevention events were used to (a) assess men’s perceptions of what topics were covered, (b) determine whether profiles of these perceptions could be identified, and (c) describe the degree to which content prerception profiles are associated with levels of men’s motivation and confidence related to antiviolence action. Latent class analysis identified four perception profiles of prevention topics. Implications for GBV prevention programming are discussed.