Primary Prevention of Sexual Violence - American College Health ...

Alcohol andSexual ViolenceSURVEY RESULTS . . .The use of alcohol by students is the primaryreason for the majority of sexual assaults oncampus.20.2% Strongly agree48.8% Agree11.1% Unsure15.2% Disagree4.7% Strongly disagreeApproximately 50-70% of all sexual assaults involve alcohol.The relationship between alcohol and sexual violence ismultifaceted and involves different pathways. Alcohol can lowerinhibitions, impair judgment and reaction time, diminish recognitionof vulnerability, reduce one’s ability to obtain or giveconsent, and decrease the capacity to resist unwanted sexualactivities (Abbey, 2002; Carr & VanDeusen, 2004). Alcoholfueledsexual aggression is anti-social behavior that harmsthousands of students each year.According to the NIAAA College Task Force Report (April2002), preconceived expectations about the effect of alcoholmay be as important as the pharmacological effect of thedrug. The influence of alcohol on behavior and judgmentmay increase misperceptions of sexual interest and lead toperpetrators ignoring refusal cues or victims disregarding riskcues. Alcohol is often used to blame victims, as a justificationby offenders, and a frequent weapon in sexual violence.Thus, unwanted, pressured, and/or “regretted” sexual activitiesbecome a common occurrence among college students.A national survey indicated that approximately 44% ofcollege students reported binge drinking (five or more drinksin a row for men and four or more in a row for women)in the last two weeks (Wechsler, et al., 2002). The Spring2007 ACHA-NCHA data showed that approximately 36%of female college students and 35% of male college studentshad an estimated Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) greaterthan or equal to .08 the last time they “partied” or socialized(ACHA, 2007).College drinking frequently occurs in sexually chargedsettings such as bars, nightclubs, and parties where sexual1.8% of female college students and 0.9% of male collegestudents who drank alcohol reported the consequence ofhaving someone use force or threat of force to have sex withthem in the last school year (ACHA, 2008). The Spring 2007ACHA-NCHA also showed that 12.9% of female collegestudents and 6.2% of male college students reported someform of sexually aggressive experience within the last schoolyear. These experiences included verbal threats for sexagainst their will, sexual touching against their will, andattempted and completed sexual penetration against theirwill (ACHA unpublished data, 2008).ACHA Spring 2007 Preventing Sexual Violence Surveyactivity may be desired or expected and students may bepressured to drink. Female college students in particular areoften targeted and incorrectly believe that they are safe amongfriends. Women are consistently rated as more culpable foracquaintance rape when they have been drinking. Humphreyand White (2000) reported that in their first year of college,31% of college women experienced some type of sexualassault and 6.4% experienced completed rape. Further,Mohler-Kuo, Dowdall, Koss, and Wechsler (2003) reportedthat 72% of female students who experienced rape were sointoxicated they were unable to consent.In order to change individual campus norms, it is necessaryto understand the context and reasons (the how, when, andwhy) that students use alcohol and the connection to sexualviolence. By obtaining data on alcohol use and sexual violenceon individual campuses and consequently identifying high-riskgroups, institutions can focus efforts to lessen high-risk alcoholuse as well as incidents of sexual violence. Campuses mightalso consider conducting focus groups of diverse studentpopulations and high-risk groups (e.g., athletes, Greeks, etc.)to determine the reasons and decisions to drink.Ultimately, collecting campus data can lead to a collaborationbetween students, faculty, staff, and administrators todevelop strategies to promote positive change appropriateto an individual campus — change that includes alcohol-freerecreation, athletic events, social activities, and campuscelebrations, as well as daily student life in residence hallsand other campus housing.The Task Force of the National Advisory Council onAlcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (April 2002) offers a clearstructure for change around alcohol use on campuses includinga series of approximately 20 recommendations (seewww.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/StatsSummaries).Primary prevention of sexual violence holds powerfulimplications for campuses. Positive campus experiences,student safety, student retention, and student learning are highpriorities for all institutions. As campuses shift the paradigm toprimary prevention of sexual violence, the following actionsare suggested:✤Recognize that students provide the data and thesolution to changing a campus culture.19