Accessing Support Services after Sexual Violence: Findings from a College Campus Climate Survey

Background: Sexual violence is a persistent problem on college campuses throughout the United States. Experiencing sexual violence in college can create barriers to both personal and educational success. Women, minorities and the LGBTQ community are disproportionately impacted by sexual violence in college.  In 2011, the White House pursued efforts to address this inequity through reinforcing Title IX legislation.  Colleges throughout the country have since bolstered efforts to prevent sexual violence and to address the impact on survivors.  Many schools have increased staff that provides counseling and advocacy.  This study intended, in part, to determine if survivors are accessing these support services.    

Methods:  Data were collected at a mid-sized, primarily commuter-based college campus in the Northeast, using a cross-sectional survey design.  A stratified sample of college students (n = 1,011) was recruited through randomly selected classes in each of the different academic colleges.  Survey were completed in the classroom, through a paper survey.  All participants were required to utilize a privacy screen, provided by the researcher.  Students who chose not to participate could leave class and not return.  The total response rate was 94%.  Participants were representative of the campus community as a whole.  The mean age was 23, 13.71% were Hispanic or Latino, 53.51% identified as female, 24.82% were people of color, and 8.37% were part of the LGBTQ community.

Results: It was found that 7% of students in the sample had experienced one or more attempted or completed sexual assaults since they became students at the college.  Of the participants that experienced sexual violence, 40% had experienced more than one type of unwanted sexual contact.  Women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community were disproportionately impacted by this crime. A significant portion of those victimized, 30%, had never told anyone what happened due to reported feelings of shame and fear that they would not be believed.    Students who did tell someone were much more likely to seek support from informal rather than formal resources.  The most likely people that a student turned to for assistance was their close friend (44%) or a roommate (20%).  In comparison, only 10% told a counselor, 1% told a campus victim advocate and 3% informed police.        

Implications: Social workers play a major role in both advocacy for survivors of sexual violence and in the development of sexual assault prevention initiatives. Findings from this study suggest that, despite available campus and community resources for survivors of violence in higher education, barriers to accessing these services persist and should be considered by advocates.  As survivors are significantly more likely to reach out to peers on campus for assistance after an assault than a professional, it behooves practitioners and researchers to consider introducing training efforts, specifically targeted at college students, which prepare them to provide trauma-informed support.