Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Measuring Sexual Violence Perpetration Acknowledgement: Testing The Effects Of Label And Response Format, Raeann E. Anderson, Hannah N. Doctor, Danielle M. Piggott

Psychology Faculty Publications

Individual acknowledgment of sexual assault and rape perpetration is extraordinarily low in prior research. Only about 1% of individuals report perpetrating rape, in contrast to the 6% perpetrating rape as estimated by using behaviorally specific items that exclude stigmatized words such as rape. The goal of this study was to examine two possible measurement mechanisms for increasing perpetration acknowledgment: label choice and response format. In Sample 1 (N = 291), participants completed two acknowledgment items which varied in label choice. One item used the term rape; one used the term sexual assault. Acknowledgment of perpetration using the …

An Experimental Test Of The Impact Of Varying Questionnaire Response Format On Prevalence Rates For Sexual Violence Victimization And Perpetration, Raeann E. Anderson, Kelly Cuccolo

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: This study examined the impact of a dichotomous versus scaled response format on prevalence rates of sexual violence perpetration and victimization, thus conceptually replicating Hamby et al., 2006 and extending those findings to the context of sexual violence.

Methods: Two samples were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and were randomly assigned to either a dichotomous or scaled response format of the same questionnaire. Sample 1 was used to examine perpetration and received a perpetration specific version of the Post-Refusal Sexual Persistence Scale (PRSPS). Sample 2 was used to examine victimization and received a victimization specific version of the PRSPS. …

Valid For Who? A Preliminary Investigation Of The Validity Of Two Sexual Victimization Questionnaires In Men And Sexual Minorities, Raeann E. Anderson, Emily M. Carstens Namie, Erica Goodman

Psychology Faculty Publications

The #MeToo movement illuminated vast numbers of people who experienced sexual violence, but the exact scope and impact, especially among under-studied populations (e.g., men and sexual minorities) is unclear, due in part to measurement issues. Our objective was to compare the validity of two measures of sexual violence victimization: The Sexual Experiences Survey – Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) and The Post-Refusal Sexual Persistence Scale – Victimization (PRSPS-V). Participants were 673 college students who first completed the Rape Empathy for Victims (REM-V) and then the SES-SFV and PRSPS-V (counter-balanced). We found strong evidence of convergent validity for the PRSPS-V with correlations …

An Initial Test Of The Tactic-First And Item-Order Hypotheses: Accounting For Response Discrepancies In Sexual Victimization Questionnaires, Raeann E. Anderson, Erica L. Goodman, Alyssa M. Ciampaglia

Psychology Faculty Publications

Reported prevalence rates of sexual violence range widely in the literature, even in the same sample when using two different questionnaires of the same construct. These discrepancies are concerning as they indicate we may be underestimating the rate of sexual violence and, therefore, resources and treatment for victims. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate two mechanisms that may contribute to differences in reported prevalence rates across the literature and discrepancies within studies: the tactic-first and item-order hypotheses. Participants were 265 MTurk workers whom all completed the Post-Refusal Sexual Persistence Scale (PRSPS), then were randomly assigned to one of two …

Test-Retest Reliabilities Of Four Tactic-First Sexual Violence History Questionnaires, Raeann E. Anderson, Monica A. Garcia, Douglas L. Delahanty

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: The present study documented, compared, and contrasted the test-retest reliabilities of the victimization and perpetration forms of a Tactic-first Sexual Experiences Survey (T-SESs) and the PostRefusal Sexual Persistence Scale (PRSPSs).

Methods: 243 Mechanical Turk workers (116 women, 124 men) completed four questionnaires in a randomized order via an anonymous web survey at Time 1 and approximately one week later at Time 2.

Results: There were consistent gender differences in test-retest estimates. When assessing a history of victimization in women, both the T-SES and the PRSPS demonstrated evidence of minimal to good reliability (κ > .61, ICC = …

The Assessment Of Forced Penetration: A Necessary And Further Step Toward Understanding Men’S Sexual Victimization And Women’S Perpetration, Raeann E. Anderson, Erica L. Goodman, Sidney S. Thimm

Psychology Faculty Publications

A unique form of sexual victimization that often goes undiscussed and, therefore, underassessed is that of being forced to penetrate another person (i.e., forced penetration). Due to forced penetration being a relatively novel addition to the definition of rape, there is a lack of assessment tools that identify forced penetration cases. Thus, the goal of this study was to assess the utility and validity of new items designed to assess forced penetration. More than 1,000 participants were recruited across three different studies to assess forced penetration victimization and perpetration. The rate of forced penetration victimization ranged from 4.51% to 10.62%. …

Discrepant Responding Across Measures Of College Students’ Sexual Victimization Experiences: Conceptual Replication And Extension, Raeann E. Anderson, Douglas D. Delahanty

Psychology Faculty Publications

Sexual violence victimization affects approximately 1 in 5 college women and 1 in 6 college men; however, rates of sexual victimization vary widely, in part due to measurement issues. The present study is the first to compare the Sexual Experience Survey-Short Form Victimization to a measure of sexual victimization designed to capture gender differences, the Post-Refusal Sexual Persistence Scale-Victimization (PRSPS-V). Prior research has compared the perpetration versions of these questionnaires and found large discrepancies. College students (N = 673: 367 women, 298 men, 8 gender minority) were surveyed. The SES-SFV identified 260 cases of sexual victimization whereas the PRSPS-V identified …

The Frequency Of Sexual Perpetration In College Men: A Systematic Review Of Reported Prevalence Rates From 2000-2017, Raeann E. Anderson, Kristin E. Silver, Alyssa M. Ciampaglia, Amanda M. Vitale, Douglas L. Delahanty

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: The prevalence of sexual perpetration in college men is unknown. Prior reviews of sexual violence prevalence rates have produced wide-ranging estimates, likely due to wide variation in measurement strategies.

Objectives: This paper systematically reviewed research findings (from 2000-2017) regarding prevalence rates of sexual perpetration in college men and measurement strategies.

Data Sources: PsycINFO and Web of Science databases.

Eligibility Criteria: Empirical reports published between 2000-2017 that included male participants, available in English, and reported lifetime prevalence findings in Canadian or American college students.

Participants: Data from 78 independent samples including 25,524 college men.

Results …

Discordance Between The Sexual Experiences Surveys-Short Forms And The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales In College Men, Raeann E. Anderson, Shawn P. Cahill, Douglas D. Delahanty

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: Sexual victimization affects at least one in five college women and up to one in six college men; however, the exact rates of sexual perpetration are difficult to ascertain because of inconsistencies in the measurement of these behaviors. The present study is the first to evaluate the extent to which three commonly used measures of sexual violence (The Sexual Experiences Survey- Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV), The Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Perpetration (SES-SFP) and the Revised Conflicts Tactics Scales-Sexual Coercion Subscale (CTS2-SC)) concurred in identifying cases of sexual victimization and sexual perpetration. This is the first study to simultaneously examine …

Differences In The Type And Sequence Order Of Self-Defense Behaviors During A High-Risk Victimization Scenario: Impact Of Prior Sexual Victimization, Raeann E. Anderson, Shawn P. Cahill, Douglas L. Delahanty

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: During a potential sexual assault experience, an active, assertive behavioral response to threat (BRTT) can be protective while a non-assertive BRTT may increase risk. However, little is known about how the sequence of behaviors that a woman engages in during a threatening situation may be related to sexual victimization. The present study investigated the style and sequence of behaviors in college women’s behavioral response to threat using a lab-based date rape self-defense scenario.

Method: 135 college women (113 with a history of sexual victimization) completed a lab-based self-defense scenario in which the threat stimuli and situational context were standardized. …

Women’S Behavioral Responses To The Threat Of A Hypothetical Date Rape Stimulus: A Qualitative Analysis, Raeann E. Anderson, Amanda M. Brouwer, Angela R. Wendorf, Shawn P. Cahill

Psychology Faculty Publications

One in four college women experience sexual assault on campus; yet, campuses rarely provide the in-depth self-defense programs needed to reduce sexual assault risk. Further, little is known about the range of possible behaviors elicited by sexual assault threat stimuli besides assertion. To fill this gap, the aim of the current study was to explore qualitative themes in women’s intended behavioral responses to a hypothetical sexual assault threat, date rape, by using a laboratory-controlled threat. College women (N = 139) were randomly assigned to one of four different levels of sexual assault threat presented via an audio-recorded vignette. Participants …