Prevalence of Victimization and Perpetration of Sexual Aggression in Undergraduate Students: A Systematic Review 2008-2018

Abstract

Introduction: Sexual aggression (SA) is a public health problem present throughout the life of people, for this reason it is necessary to know its magnitude and scope. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of empirical studies that include information on the prevalence of sexual aggression in undergraduate students. Materials and Methods: Two authors independently searched for publications between 2008-2018 in the Scopus®, Web of Science®, Scielo®, Redalyc® and Eric® databases. As inclusion criteria, empirical studies that report the prevalence of victimization and/or perpetration of sexual aggression in students since their admission to the university were considered. The evaluation was carried out independently by two evaluators who determined the risk of bias. In total, 35 articles were selected that met the inclusion criteria. Used methodology, sample sizes, measurement instruments, prevalence of victimization-perpetration of sexual aggression and perpetrator-victim relationship are indicated. Results: Although there are differences between the studies analyzed, the results indicate that unwanted sexual contact is the most frequent type of sexual aggression in both victimization and perpetration; however, several studies did not perform this subdivision and showed only general data of some type of sexual aggression. Discussion: The findings of the estimation of prevalence of sexual aggression and its subtypes in undergraduates since they enter university life are discussed, as well as future considerations related to terminology unification that allows to estimate more precise figures of the types of sexual aggression.