Abstract: The Challenge of Diverse Campuses: An Examination of Asian and Latinx Students' Knowledge and Utilization of Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Resources (Society for Social Work and Research 27th Annual Conference - Social Work Science and Complex Problems: Battling Inequities + Building Solutions)

Schedule:

Sunday, January 15, 2023

Paradise Valley, 2nd Level (Sheraton Phoenix Downtown)

* noted as presenting author

Jianchao Lai, MSW, Doctoral Student, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Laura Liévano-Karim, MPP, Doctoral student, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA

Eunhee Park, MPH, PhD Student, University of California, Los Angeles

Marisa Imbroane, Undergraduate Student, University of California, Los Angeles

Sara Wilf, MPA, PhD Student, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Ariana Schieferle, Student Research Associate, University of California, Los Angeles

Kalani Phillips, MPH, CPH, PhD Student, University of California, Irvine

Joanne Probert, MSN, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, University of California, San Francisco

Sean Sugai, Undergraduate Student, University of California, Los Angeles

Stephanie Kathan, MSSW, PhD Student, University of California, Los Angeles, CA

Background: Sexual violence and sexual harassment (SVSH) are pervasive issues on university campuses with consequences that may last far beyond graduation. Students who identify as racial minorities, including Asian, LatinX/Hispanic, and Black, have been identified to experience higher rates of victimization. However, most research on SVSH has focused on heterosexual White cis-gender women, ignoring other student populations. One barrier to service utilization for student survivors is the lack of awareness of available services and resources. However, previous research has not investigated this phenomenon across different racial and ethnic groups. This study explores differences between LatinX/Hispanic and Asian students with their White counterparts with regards to their awareness and utilization of resources for SVSH.

Methods: This cross-sectional study utilizes two datasets. One on awareness and utilization of resources for SVSH, collected through an online survey (N=1208) across all 10 University of California (UC) campuses. Secondly, we also used a subset of the interview data (N=23) from the Double Jeopardy Study, which uses a mixed-method approach including surveys and semi-structured interviews, to assess the interaction of SVSH, anti-Asian racism, and Xenophobia experienced by Asian students in UCs. Logistic regression, Pearson’s Chi-square test, and ANOVA were used to examine different survey outcomes, and thematic qualitative coding was used to analyze the interview data.

Results: Findings indicate Asian (OR=0.56, p=0.000<0.001) and LatinX (OR=0.57, p=0.001<0.001) students are less likely to know about the responsibilities of Title IX compared to White students when controlling for their degree programs and sexual orientations. Asian students had less trust in Title IX and CAPS, while LatinX students had less trust in UCPD compared to White students. Asian students were less likely to use on-campus resources (OR=0.33, p=0.002<0.001), and to disclose their SVSH experience compared to White students. No such differences were found between LatinX and White students. For those Asian students who did not disclose their SVSH experience, the top three reasons were not thinking the experience was serious enough (21%), did not know where to go (13%), and felt embarrassed and guilty (13%). The supplemental interview data showed that Asian students’ experiences and perceptions of SVSH are heavily influenced by the cultural “taboo” of sexuality, and the campus climate was perceived as not tailored nor supportive to Asian students.

Implications: Our findings recommended universities improve awareness, knowledge, and trust of SVSH resources among racial minority students. Programs on campus that predominantly serve Asian and LatinX populations should be equipped with more tailored training materials, which should include resources besides Title IX, CAPS, and UCPD to increase student knowledge of additional off-campus resources they may feel more comfortable accessing. Moreover, because Asian students indicated a reduced disclosure and heightened stigmatization of SVSH, the list of resources should contain information geared toward destigmatizing SVSH. Lastly, the underlying mechanisms of the reduced disclosure among Asian students is a potential area for future research.