Men who attend college are at an increased risk of sexual assault, according to recent studies. According to studies, both before and during college, college students endure high rates of sexual violence, including attempted and successful rape. However, problems with evaluation and a paucity of studies on how males interpret their experiences hinder the study.
Through the use of a variety of research techniques, the current study intended to deepen our understanding of the experience of sexual violence among men in higher education. 58 American college graduates – 11.2% of the sample of 518 men – reported having been sexually assaulted before the age of 14 (Littleton et al., 2020). They also answered questions about their usage of alcohol and their traits of violence(Littleton et al., 2020).
Additionally, 44 individuals wrote down their accounts of the assault (Littleton et al., 2020). This mixed-method research utilized the presence of sexual assault as an independent variable. Meanwhile, the effects brought by sexual abuse represented the dependent one.
The findings supported the notion that men frequently attacked women at gatherings and bars and that many of them were weakened by the effects of psychoactive drugs. The majority of assaults – more than two-thirds – were conducted by female offenders, with “mismatch of intent” – the act of engaging in sexual activity without the victim’s agreement during an initial consensual encounter – being the most frequent type of assault. Many people were unable to resist due to the use of psychoactive substances effectively, and some people said that they did not resist even when they were able to (Littleton et al., 2020). Overall, the findings support the need for interventions to stop sexual assault that are tailored for men who have been abused.
Reference
Littleton, H., Downs, E., & Rudolph, K. (2020). The sexual victimization experiences of men attending college: A mixed methods investigation. Sex Roles, 83, 596-608.