In a study of 180,000 undergraduate and graduate students, it was found that 13% had experienced Sexual Violence (SV). 71-95% of SV survivors do not report their experiences with their campus authorities. Existing research has been done to show the correlation that SV has with mental health disorders. This article assesses existing literature and focuses on the correlation between mental health and substance use with SV and compares the differences among gender, perpetration vs. victimization, and type of SV.
For most students, alcohol is the center of the college experience. Alcohol and hooking up culture can lead to an increased risk of SV. Research has found that alcohol does not cause SV but enhances the negative risk factors of the perpetrator that exist with or without alcohol. Alcohol also may leave an individual with an impaired ability to recognize dangerous situations and resist unwanted advances. This article is a meta-analysis and collected studies by conducting database searches of PyschInfo, Proquest, Social Science Abstracts, ERIC, and more. Using search terms such as College, SV, and Correlates. The articles and studies were then separated by two different research team members with an agreement rate of 97.87%.
The results of this meta-analysis showed the strongest factor associated with SV victimization was suicidal ideation. Alcohol use, drug use, and binge drinking all had great correlates of SV victimization. Roughly 30%-45% of college SV survivors report PTSD in their lifetime. Disorder eating, substance use, and suicidal ideation are all sometimes used to help victims cope. PTSD and drug use were associated with alcohol-facilitated SV and alcohol was seen being used to “cope” more with undifferentiated SV. Although the findings of the article support substance use factors as correlates associated with SV victimization, more research needs to be done to determine whether substance use comes before, after, or both before and after SV victimization. The meta-analysis also shows support for substance use factors as correlates associated with SV perpetration. The result of this meta-analysis shows the need for and importance of improving colleges’ responses and resources to survivors of SV.
Takeaway: Sexual Violence among college students has a strong correlation to an individual partaking in alcohol use, drug use, and being diagnoses with a mental disorder due to experiencing such a traumatic event.