The Influence of Community Sociocultural Context on Creating an Effective, Coordinated Response to Sexual Assault

Abstract

Members of Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs) coordinate and improve the community response to sexual assault. A SART’s effectiveness is likely influenced by its sociocultural context, or the norms, values, and beliefs of the local community. However, this has yet to be empirically examined. We conducted a qualitative study to explore how sociocultural context may influence effectiveness within a sample of 169 leaders of 169 U.S. SARTs. SART leaders believed that specific norms and beliefs held by the general public in their community (rape myths and victim blame, denial of sexual assault happening locally, taboos against discussing sexual assault, and a male-dominated environment) delegitimized sexual assault as a problem that deserved public intervention. Leaders believed these led community members to resist the team’s efforts, by decreasing the community’s support and buy-in to the SART, interfering with efforts to make services accessible to survivors, and obstructing the SART’s ability to effectively respond to cases. And some leaders believed highly interconnected communities compromised the accessibility and objectivity of systems that respond to sexual assault. SARTs need to carefully tailor their efforts to improve accessibility of systems, and the response to sexual assault cases, to their unique local sociocultural context.