Sexual assault and harassment, perceived vulnerability, and association with alcohol use in a student population: a cross-sectional survey

Abstract

BackgroundThe prevalence of sexual assault and harassment at universities is unclear because of under-reporting. Furthermore, student perceptions of vulnerability to sexual assault and how these relate to alcohol consumption are unknown. The present study assesses the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment in a student sample, and how this relates to issues of vulnerability and alcohol use. MethodsParticipants were recruited via a weekly email of notices that is sent to all students attending a town-based Scottish university of about 7200 students. The study was approved by the university ethics committee, and all participants gave informed consent before participating. The online survey was available in November, 2013, and included validated scales examining personal experience of sexual harassment and assault, perception of own and peers' vulnerability to sexual assault, and the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). Data were analysed with χ2 and t tests. FindingsThe survey was completed by 135 female and 40 male students, aged 17–56 years (mean 21·9, SD 5·4), 84 (48%) of whom were in their first year of study. There was no significant difference in the proportion of male students (22·5%) and female students (37·0%) who reported having experienced some form of sexual harassment or assault at the university. Participants perceived themselves as significantly less vulnerable than same-sex peers (t(df 160)=6·10, 95% CI −1·09 to −0·55; p<0·0001) and judged peers to significantly underestimate their own vulnerability (t(df 159)=4·86, 0·40 to 0·95; p<0·0001). Controlling for sex, AUDIT did not predict judgments of own vulnerability (β=0·02, 95% CI −0·03 to 0·06, p=0·49), but hazardous drinkers were more likely to report experiences of sexual harassment than non-hazardous drinkers (χ2(df 2)=20·98, p<0·0001). InterpretationPrevalence rates for experiencing sexual harassment or assault were high, and participants underestimated their own vulnerability compared with peers. Although hazardous drinkers were more likely to report experiencing sexual harassment or assault than non-hazardous drinkers, this finding was not shown in their judged vulnerability, again suggesting a misperception. The role of alcohol and vulnerability misperceptions should be considered in future interventions. The study was limited by oversampling female first-year students, thereby producing a non-representative sample. FundingNone.