Introduction to the special issue on campus sexual violence
| Published date | 09 October 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JACPR-10-2017-309 |
| Pages | 245-245 |
| Date | 09 October 2017 |
| Author | Robert J. Cramer,Matt Nobles |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Aggression, conflict & peace,Sociology,Gender studies,Gender violence,Political sociology, policy & social change,Social conflicts,War/peace |
Robert J. Cramer and Matt Nobles
Introduction to the special issue on campus sexual violence
Welcome to Issue 9.4 of the Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research. This issue
presents a special initiative addressing contemporary issues concerning sexual violence on
college campuses. Critically important campus sexual violence topics covered in this issue
include: nuanced patterns of risk factors, contemporary empirically informed perspectives on
measurement and reporting, and the diverse nature of attitudes and social norms on campus.
These themes are each represented by several articles.
First, a clear theme emerged concerning the significance of examining nuanced patterns of risk
factors for campus sexual violence. Silverstein and colleagues depict intricate mediating and
moderating pathways from sexual victimization history to risky sexual behavior; identifying
moderators or mediators within their sample including alcohol use, masculinity, and sexual
sensation seeking. Jennings and co-authors also contribute new knowledge to nuanced
patterns of risk factors in that they report data showing sexual abuse victimization history as a
risk factor for experiencing intimate partner violence, especially among college women. Overall,
these studies highlight that, when trying to understand pathways or contingent risk for campus
sexual violence, there is need to consider theoretically grounded risk factors in complex,
nuanced models beyond straightforward main effects.
A second theme within this special issue addresses measurement and reporting of sexual
violence and aggression. Bouffard and Goodson' share measurement findings suggesting
potential for differing research results based on selected sexual aggression definitions,
as reflected by measures or proxy variables. Spohn and colleagues provide a critical comparison
of college and non-college students reporting of victimization to law enforcement. Among their
key findings is that non-college women were more likely to report to law enforcement, and yet
contact with a helping agency and considering one’s assault a rape were facilitators for reporting
differentially across college and non-college victims. Collectively, these studies point to the need
for consistency in both the manner in which sexual aggression is measured and for practical
approaches to support reporting of victimization across young adult populations.
From a public health perspective, the last theme in this issue concerns attitudes and social norms
about campus sexual violence. Rosenthal et al. articulate findings concerning an understudied
topic: employees’responses to how their campus handles reports of sexual violence.
The authors report several negative reactions, such as high levels of institutional betrayal.
Hackman and colleagues demonstrate overall high frequency of student misperceptions of
sexual violence rates, as well as factors associated with misperceptions such as perpetrators
holding more inaccurate perceptions. Reitz-Kruger and co-authors demonstrate gender
differences in the experience of sexual violence victimization subtypes, and add to the literature
regarding the importance of gender disparities in rape myth acceptance. This set of studies holds
the potential to inform evidence-based multi-level prevention programs aimed at improving
campus norms regarding sexual violence.
The current issue of the Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research offers invaluable
new research advancing knowledge in campus sexual violence. We hope this series of articles
helps spur further research and design of evidence-based prevention and intervention programs.
Robert J. Cramer is an
Associate Professor at the
School of Community and
Environmental Health Sciences,
Old Dominion University,
Norfolk, Virginia,USA.
Matt Nobles is based at the
Department of Criminal Justice,
University of Central Florida,
Orlando, Florida, USA.
DOI 10.1108/JACPR-10-2017-309 VOL. 9 NO. 4 2017, p.245, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1759-6599
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JOURNAL OF AGGRESSION, CONFLICTAND PEACE RESEARCH
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