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Virginia Commonwealth University

Sexual assault

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Evaluation Of Direct-To-Amplification Cell Lysis Techniques For Forensically Relevant Non-Sperm Cells, Rhea Arya Jan 2023

Evaluation Of Direct-To-Amplification Cell Lysis Techniques For Forensically Relevant Non-Sperm Cells, Rhea Arya

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

While efforts have been made to reduce the pervasive backlog of sexual assault evidence collection kits, the actual laboratory process remains very time-consuming due to the requirement of a differential lysis step before DNA purification, as well as intricate mixture analysis towards the end of the DNA workflow. Previous work in the Dawson Green laboratory at VCU has developed alternative solutions for differential extractions with sexual assault samples using both an in-tube and microdevice assay. Prior work led to the identification of an alternative sperm lysis method – alkaline lysis using 1M NaOH. However, the current lysis method used for …


Morphological And Autofluorescence Signatures For The Identification Of Vaginal Cells In Mixture Samples Containing Saliva And/Or Epidermal Cells, Hannah L. Burden Jan 2023

Morphological And Autofluorescence Signatures For The Identification Of Vaginal Cells In Mixture Samples Containing Saliva And/Or Epidermal Cells, Hannah L. Burden

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

In forensic casework the identification of body fluids at a crime scene can frequently play an important role in reconstructing the events that occurred. There are several bodily fluid identification methods to characterize unknown stains recovered as evidence. However, there has not been a reliable method for detecting the presence vaginal cells and/or differentiate it from other forensically relevant tissue types that may be recovered from a crime scene. The detection of vaginal fluid is important for forensic casework due to the abundance of sexual assault kits that are not only backlogged but continue to be submitted to the lab …


Impact Of School-Based Sex Education On College Students’ Rape Myth Acceptance: An Exploratory Analysis, Erika Carpenter Jan 2017

Impact Of School-Based Sex Education On College Students’ Rape Myth Acceptance: An Exploratory Analysis, Erika Carpenter

Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates nearly one-fourth of college women fall victim to sexual assault (Cantor et. al., 2015). Two predictors of high proclivity to rape are endorsement of rape myths and adherence to traditional gender norms (King & Roberts, 2011). Additionally, research shows school-based sex education in the United States presents gender and sexual norms in troubling ways that disproportionately harm women (Kendall, 2013). However, research on sexual assault and rape myths have not examined the impact school-based sex education has on rape supportive attitudes. This study aimed to bridge that gap by using original survey data from undergraduate students at a …


Rape And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd): Examining The Mediating Role Of Explicit Sex-Power Beliefs For Men Versus Women, Daniel J. Snipes, Jenna M. Calton, Brooke A. Green, Paul B. Perrin, Eric G. Benotsch Jan 2017

Rape And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd): Examining The Mediating Role Of Explicit Sex-Power Beliefs For Men Versus Women, Daniel J. Snipes, Jenna M. Calton, Brooke A. Green, Paul B. Perrin, Eric G. Benotsch

Psychology Publications

Many rape survivors exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and recent literature suggests survivors' beliefs about sex and control may affect PTSD symptoms. The present study examined beliefs about sex and power as potential mediators of the relationship between rape and PTSD symptoms for men versus women. Participants (N = 782) reported lifetime history of rape, current PTSD symptoms, and beliefs about sex and power. Women reported higher levels of lifetime history of rape than men (19.7% for women; 9.7% for men). While rape history predicted PTSD symptoms for both genders, beliefs about sex and power were shown to …