Path Analysis of Factors Related to the Sexual Assault Reporting Climate for LGBQ College Students

Background: Sexual assault is a well-documented problem on college campuses that disproportionately impacts lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer/questioning (LGBQ) college students. Sexual assault campus climate studies are increasingly used to assess the perceptions and attitudes related to sexual assault, so as to improve campus response and prevention efforts. Scholars have called for research that is inclusive of marginalized groups on campus and that explores the nuanced dimensions of the sexual assault campus climate. The current study examines how factors unique to the experience of LGBQ college students (harassment of LGBQ individuals, classroom inclusion and community readiness to address sexual assault) are related to the sexual assault reporting climate (SARC).

Method: Participants were recruited for this cross-sectional study through an anonymous, on-line survey distributed through social media. On-line recruitment was used to enhance anonymity and accessibility for participants This sample included 923 current college students in the United States who identified as a sexual minority. The majority of the sample were white (88%, n = 800), identified as either female (47.6%, n = 439) or male (19.3%, n = 178) and over half were between the ages of 18 and 20 (59.5%, n = 549).

Results: Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the fit of a four-factor model: SARC, classroom climate, community readiness, and observed harassment. All path loadings between latent variables were statistically significant at the .001 level. Fit of the model was adequate, RMSEA = .06 with 90% CI [.058, .064] and CFI = .914. Due to the adequate fit of the measurement model, a structural model of the relationship between SARC, classroom climate, community readiness, and observed harassment was tested. The squared multiple correlation computes that 48% of the variance in SARC is explained by the other latent variables. All path loadings between latent variables were statistically significant at the .001 level, with observed harassment contributing the most to the variance in SARC. Fit of the model was adequate, RMSEA = .066 with 90% CI [.063, .07], and CFI = .914.

Implications: Results of this study suggest that the unique experiences of LGBQ students in the college environment may contribute to their perceptions of how college officials, and their peers, will respond to a report of sexual assault. This indicates that the sexual assault campus climate is a nuanced concept that may have a variety of dimensions for LGBQ students on campus. Campus climate researchers should consider including measures that assess the unique experiences of different groups in general sexual assault campus climate surveys. Social work practitioners who seek to improve response and prevention of sexual assault for college students should collaborate with colleagues who are invested in promoting inclusion and equity for LGBQ students to enhance their efforts.