Texas Statewide Sexual Assault Prevalence: Implications for Research Methodology

Background: A comprehensive understanding of the prevalence of sexual assault is critical to understanding the scope of the problem, designing effective responses to the crime and developing primary prevention strategies. The purpose of the study was to conduct a statewide survey of the prevalence and incidence of sexual assault in Texas to inform primary, secondary and tertiary prevention efforts, and to compare results and methodological advances to a similar study conducted in 2003.

Methods: A representative sample (N=1,203) of adults living in Texas participated in the telephone surveys. Landline and cellular telephone numbers were selected using random-digit-dial methods. The survey design drew from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (CDC, 2010), and from a similar study conducted in 2003. Sexual assault victimization was assessed using 15 behavioral questions in three age groups: ages 13 and under, between 14 and 17, and 18 and older. The instrument also included questions about participants’ demographics, health, alcohol and drug use, attitudes about sexual assault, and gender socialization.

The survey was translated and conducted in both English and Spanish. Interviewers completed two additional three-hour trainings on sexual assault myths, etiology, post-traumatic responses to sexual assault, protocol for distressed participants, and self-care. Open-ended questions were asked to capture a number of data points, including reasons why victims did not report sexual assault to law enforcement.  Data were weighted to reflect the Texas census distribution for gender, ethnicity, and age.

Results:  Projections from the survey estimate that 6.3 million Texans (4.2 million adult women and 2.1 million adult men) have experienced some form of sexual assault in their lifetime, and 2.2 percent of Texans have experienced some of sexual assault in the last year. In 2003, overall lifetime victimization based on 5 screening questions was 13.0%, and 18.3% in 2015. In 2015, overall lifetime victimization based on 15 questions revealed a 32% lifetime victimization rate (43.8% for women, 22.5% for men).  Men reported victimization at high rates and at a much higher rate than a decade ago (13.0% versus 22.5%). Women were primarily sexually assaulted by men and men were as likely to be victimized by women as they were by men. Most women reported being sexually assaulted by someone related to them or in a very close relationship to them (61%). The main reasons cited by victims for not reporting to law enforcement included: difficulty defining their experience as a crime, being too young and/or scared, feeling “stupid”, ashamed or embarrassed.   

Implications: These findings have important implications for the field of social work and the study of sexual assault prevalence moving forward. The findings suggest that sexual assault in Texas has been significantly underestimated to date. The dramatic increase in prevalence between 2003 and 2015 may be due, in part, to the evolution of measurement techniques over the last decade. An increase in public awareness may mean that people now think differently about their experiences with sexual assault. In addition, questions asked by three age groups may have helped participants recall past experiences.