William F. Flack

Risk Factors and Consequences of Unwanted Sex Among University Students Hooking Up, Alcohol, and Stress Response

This is the first study of unwanted sexual experiences in the collegiate “hooking-up” culture. In a representative sample of 178 students at a small liberal arts university. Twenty-three percent of women and 7% of men surveyed reported one or more experiences of unwanted sexual intercourse. Seventy-eight percent of unwanted vaginal, anal, and oral incidents took place while—“hooking up,”—whereas 78% of unwanted fondling incidents occurred at parties or bars. The most frequently endorsed reason for unwanted sexual intercourse was impaired judgment due to alcohol. The most frequently endorsed reason for unwanted fondling was that it happened before the perpetrator could be stopped. Of those affected by unwanted sexual intercourse or unwanted fondling, 46.7% and 19.2% reported unwanted memories, 50% and 32.7% reported avoidance and numbing responses, and 30% and 26.9% reported hyperarousal responses, respectively. A preliminary model of unwanted sex and collegiate social dynamics is proposed to provide a heuristic for further research.

Predictors of Emotional Numbing, Revisited: A Replication and Extension

Litz et al. (1997), theorizing that emotional numbing (EN) is the result of emotional depletion caused by chronic hyperarousal, demonstrated that a cluster of hyperarousal symptoms was a robust predictor of EN symptoms. In the present study, these findings were replicated and extended in two multiple regression analyses of data from a large, multisite investigation (T. M. Keane et al., 1998) of psychophysiological responding by male combat veterans. The arousal (D) cluster of symptoms was again the most robust predictor of EN symptoms, whereas physiological indices of arousal and reactivity accounted for negligible amounts of variance in both regression equations. These findings underscore the possible link between disturbances related to arousal and the capacity of traumatized individuals to express and experience pleasant feelings.

The Red Zone: Temporal Risk for Unwanted Sex Among College Students

The “red zone” usually refers to the first few weeks of the first semester at college, when female students are believed to be at greatest risk for experiencing unwanted sex. We tested this notion using data from a survey study of 207 first-and second-year students (121 women, 84 men) at a small, liberal arts university. Results demonstrated only one significant elevation in incidence rates of first- and second-year womens unwanted sexual experiences (sexual touching, attempted and completed anal, oral, and vaginal sex), between the end of the first month and fall break (mid-October) during the second year at school. Previous research and local information about the relevant behaviors of sorority and fraternity members is discussed in light of these findings to provide heuristic material for further empirical testing. Because risk may involve both temporal and situational factors, systematic collection and dissemination of local data are recommended.

Peripheral feedback effects of facial expressions, bodily postures, and vocal expressions on emotional feelings

The purpose of this study was to examine the feedback effects of three modalities of emotional expression on emotional experience. Facial expressions, bodily postures, and vocal expressions of anger, sadness, fear, and happiness were manipulated under disguised conditions in a sample of 52 undergraduate students. After each manipulation, participants rated their feelings of anger, sadness, fear, happiness, disgust, and surprise on 11-point scales. Results indicated that: (1) facial expressions and bodily postures tended to produce specific, categorical effects on emotional feelings (the effects of vocal expressions were inconsistent); (2) the magnitudes of effects produced by facial expressions tended to be stronger than those of bodily postures, which tended to exceed those of vocal expressions; and (3) responsiveness to self-produced cues of emotion was consistent across the three modalities of expression.

Sexual Assault Victimization Among Female Undergraduates During Study Abroad A Single Campus Survey Study

Almost all research on sexual assault victimization among undergraduate university students pertains to incidents that occur on domestic college and university campuses. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of sexual assault victimization and related factors among undergraduates in the context of study-abroad programs. Two hundred eight female students (52% response rate) from a small university in the northeastern United States who had recently studied abroad responded to an online survey containing measures of sexual assault, posttraumatic stress responses (PSR), and alcohol consumption. Almost 19% of the respondents indicated one or more types of sexual assault victimization. Approximately 17% reported non-consensual sexual touching, 7% attempted rape, 4% rape, with 9% reporting attempted rape or rape. As in domestic studies, victimization in this sample was related positively to alcohol consumption and PSR. Use of force was the most frequently reported perpetrator tactic. In sum, the high rates of sexual assault victimization reported by this sample during study abroad replicate previous findings. This context requires further attention from sexual assault researchers, especially given the increasing numbers of university students engaging in study abroad, and from campus support personnel who may be unaware of the likelihood of assault in this context.

Patterns of cardiovascular responses during angry, sad, and happy emotional recall tasks.

Research on emotions and cardiovascular (CV) functioning has focused mainly on reactivity, and suggests that different emotions result in different patterns of reactivity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether different emotions are also associated with different patterns of CV recovery. A total of 32 participants wrote about angry, happy, and sad emotional experiences while having their systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) measured. Consistent with prior research, our results suggest that patterns of CV reactivity and recovery differ between positive and negative emotions. Specifically, we found that sadness elicited significant differences in patterns of CV reactivity and recovery compared to happiness, whereas anger did not.Research on emotions and cardiovascular (CV) functioning has focused mainly on reactivity, and suggests that different emotions result in different patterns of reactivity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether different emotions are also associated with different patterns of CV recovery. A total of 32 participants wrote about angry, happy, and sad emotional experiences while having their systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) measured. Consistent with prior research, our results suggest that patterns of CV reactivity and recovery differ between positive and negative emotions. Specifically, we found that sadness elicited significant differences in patterns of CV reactivity and recovery compared to happiness, whereas anger did not.

Measuring campus sexual misconduct and its context: The Administrator-Researcher Campus Climate Consortium (ARC3) survey.

OBJECTIVE In response to The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assaults recommendations, the Administrator-Researcher Campus Climate Collaborative (ARC3) has curated an empirically sound, no-cost campus climate survey for U.S. institutions of higher education. The ARC3 survey contains 19 modules that assess a range of Title IX violations, including sexual harassment, dating violence, and sexual misconduct victimization and perpetration; sexual misconduct prevention efforts, resources, and responses; and key predictors and possible outcomes of sexual misconduct. This article describes the ARC3 survey development and pilot test psychometric data. METHOD A total of 909 students attending one of three U.S. universities responded to the survey; 85% of students who began the survey completed it. Students completed the ARC3 survey in slightly less than 30 min, on average. RESULTS The majority of measures produced evidence for at least acceptable internal consistency levels (α > .70), with only two short item sets having marginal reliability (α = .65-.70). Correlations among scales matched expectations set by the research literature. Students generally did not find the survey distressing; in fact, students viewed the climate assessment as important and personally meaningful. CONCLUSION The survey performed sufficiently well in pilot testing to recommend its use with U.S. college populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).