Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Research Articles

Gender Differences in Sexual Violence Victimization Experiences and Validity of Victimization Reports: A Think-Aloud Study

ABSTRACT This study compared the qualitative nature of women and men’s sexual violence (SV) victimization, the types of experiences captured and missed on the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) across genders, and common interpretations of the SES-SFV items. Fifty-four university students (31 women, 21 cis men, 2 trans men) who had recent unwanted (but not necessarily nonconsensual) sexual experiences thought out loud while privately completing the SES-SFV. They also typed descriptions of experiences reported on SES-SFV items or similar experiences when nothing was reported on an item. Results indicated that women’s victimization was more frequent and severe than cis men’s, except when men were victimized by men. Although verbal coercion was common across genders, event descriptions indicated that women’s verbal coercion experiences were more often harsh and part of a partner’s ongoing SV or coercive control. The findings suggest that quantitative measurement can mask important gender differences in victimization and (based on analysis of false positives and negatives) may underestimate rape and attempted rape experiences, especially women’s. Findings suggested that responding to the SES-SFV was not traumatic or distressing. However, participants sometimes expressed confusion about the items and interpreted them in unintended ways.

Irresponsibility Stereotypes Exacerbate Effects of Sexual Violence on Cisgender Bisexual Women's Coping Drinking Motives.

Bisexual women experience disparities in alcohol use outcomes compared to both lesbian and heterosexual women. Bisexual women also experience higher rates of sexual violence (SV) and alcohol use following SV. We examined whether coping drinking motives mediate the link between adult SV severity and alcohol use and whether dimensions of binegativity (i.e., hostility, instability, irresponsibility) moderate the effects of SV. The sample consisted of 355 young (ages 18-35) cisgender bisexual women drinkers (Mage=25.8, 84.2% White) recruited via MTurk. Measures included: Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization (Koss et al., 2007), Anti-Bisexual Experiences Scale (Brewster & Moradi, 2010), Modified Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised (Grant et al., 2007), and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Consumption subscale (Babor et al., 2001). The PROCESS macro for SPSS was used. There was an interaction between SV severity and irresponsibility stereotypes in predicting coping motives. SV severity related to greater coping motives at mean and high, but not low, levels of irresponsibility stereotypes. Indirect effects of SV severity on alcohol use via coping motives were significant at mean and high, but not low, levels of irresponsibility stereotypes. Hostility and instability dimensions of binegativity did not interact with SV severity in predicting coping motives. Results identified SV severity and irresponsibility stereotypes as compounding experiences that may explain greater alcohol use. Bisexual women exposed to this dimension of binegativity may be particularly vulnerable to drink alcohol to cope with distress following SV. Interventions for alcohol use may be enhanced by helping bisexual women cope with SV-related distress and irresponsibility stereotypes.

Preliminary Evidence of Validity for the Verbally Pressured and Illegal Sexual Exploitation Modules of the Sexual Experiences Survey-Victimization

ABSTRACT The Sexual Experiences Survey-Victimization (SES-V; see Koss et al., 2024) revises the prior 2007 Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) in many ways, including expanded measurement of verbally pressured and illegal sexual exploitation, as well as the addition of items that assess being made to perform a sexual act or to penetrate another person sexually. The current article describes two initial validity studies of the SES-V. Study 1 compared rates of self-reported verbal pressure and illegal sexual exploitation (e.g. rape) on a preliminary version of the SES-V and the SES-SFV in a sample of higher education students who completed both questionnaires online in a randomized order (N = 460). As expected, the preliminary SES-V produced higher rates than the SES-SFV, and continuous scores were strongly correlated. Responses to the made-to-penetrate (MTP) items suggested that some cisgender men and women may have misunderstood those items. Study 2 explored responses to the MTP items further by randomly assigning participants to complete items with either the Study 1 MTP language (n = 269) or revised language (n = 245). The revised language produced fewer implausible responses and was adopted in the final version of the SES-V. These findings provide initial support for the validity of the SES-V and the value of expanding the conceptualization of victimization to include a wider range of sexual exploitation. A research agenda for future validity research is suggested.

Gender Differences in Sexual Violence Perpetration Behaviors and Validity of Perpetration Reports: A Mixed-Method Study

ABSTRACT The current mixed-method study examined gender differences in sexual violence (SV) perpetration behaviors and the validity of perpetration reports made on the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Perpetration (SES-SFP). Fifty-four university students (31 women and 23 men) were asked to think out loud while privately completing an online version of the SES-SFP and to describe (typed response) behaviors that they reported having engaged in on the SES. Those who reported no such behavior were asked to describe any similar behaviors they may have engaged in. Integration of the quantitative responses on the SES and the qualitative descriptions of the events reported showed that men’s SV perpetration was more frequent and severe than women’s. The qualitative event descriptions further suggested that men’s verbal coercion was often harsher in tone and that men more often than women used physical force (including in events only reported as verbal coercion on the SES). Unlike men, women often reported that their response to a refusal was not intended to pressure their partner or obtain the sexual activity. Two women also mistakenly reported experiences of their own victimization or compliance (giving in to unwanted sex) on SES perpetration items, which inflated women’s SV perpetration rate. Findings suggest that quantitative measurement can miss important qualitative differences in women and men’s behaviors and may underestimate men’s and overestimate women’s SV perpetration. Participants also sometimes misinterpreted or described confusion around the SES items, suggesting a need for updated language on this and other quantitative measures.

Incapacitated and/or Forcible Rape Experience Predicting College Women's Rape Victim Empathy.

Rape experience is common and victim empathy may help address it (e.g., prevention, victim support). We examined rape victim empathy based on type of rape experience (none, incapacitated, forcible, combined). Undergraduate women (n = 658) completed the Rape Victim Empathy-During Subscale and Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization. Rape experience was associated with greater empathy, especially for those with any forcible experience. Perhaps due to weaker memory of their own rape event, incapacitated victims may be relatively less able than forcible victims to understand another victim's perspective during a rape. Researchers should consider examining incapacitated and forcible rape as distinct experiences.

Participant Acceptability of Questionnaires Impacts Sexual Victimization Prevalence Rates

ABSTRACT Obtaining accurate prevalence rates of sexual violence is made difficult by discrepancies in self-report questionnaires. Thus, the current study sought to explore participants’ perceptions of acceptability (i.e., perceived difficulty and preference) as a potential mechanism of discrepancy between different questionnaires. Participants were 673 college students who completed two frequently used sexual victimization questionnaires, the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) and the Post-Refusal Sexual Persistence Scales-Victimization (PRSPS-V). Participants then answered questions about each measure’s perceived difficulty and their preference between the two. Participants found the PRSPS-V easier to understand and preferred it 2.5 to 1 over the SES-SFV. Preference was related to reporting; participants who preferred the PRSPS-V reported more instances of sexual victimization on the PRSPS-V by 9.8%. Our results indicate that acceptability impacts reported prevalence rates and is one mechanism of discrepancy between questionnaires. Thus, researchers may wish to consider acceptability when choosing sexual victimization questionnaires.

Self-Reports of Sexual Violence Outside of Survey Reference Periods: Implications for Measurement.

Accurate measurement of sexual violence (SV) victimization is important for informing research, policy, and service provision. Measures such as the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES) that use behaviorally specific language and a specified reference period (e.g., since age 14, over the past 12 months) are considered best practice and have substantially improved SV estimates given that so few incidents are reported to police. However, to date, we know little about whether estimates are affected by respondents' reporting of incidents that occurred outside of the specified reference period (i.e., reference period errors). The current study explored the extent, nature, and impact on incidence estimates of reference period errors in two large, diverse samples of post-secondary students. Secondary analysis was conducted of data gathered using a follow-up date question after the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization. Between 8% and 68% of rape and attempted rape victims made reference period errors, with the highest proportion of errors occurring in the survey with the shortest reference period (1 month). These errors caused minor to moderate changes in time period-specific incidence estimates (i.e., excluding respondents with errors reduced estimates by up to 7%). Although including a date question does not guarantee that all time period-related errors will be identified, it can improve the accuracy of SV estimates, which is crucial for informing policy and prevention. Researchers measuring SV within specific reference periods should consider collecting dates of reported incidents as best practice.

Evidence That Nine Autistic Women Out of Ten Have Been Victims of Sexual Violence.

BackgroundResearch indicates that sexual violence affects about 30% of women in the general population and between two to three times as much for autistic women.Materials and MethodsWe investigated prevalence of sexual abuse, autistic traits and a range of symptoms, using an online survey addressed to the women of the French autistic community (n = 225). We assessed victimization through an open question and through a specific questionnaire, derived from the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization.ResultsBoth case identification methods yielded high figures: 68.9% victimization (open question) compared to 88.4% (standardized questionnaire). Two thirds of the victims were very young when they were first assaulted: among 199 victims, 135 were aged 18 or below and 112 participants were aged 15 or below. 75% of participants included in our study reported several aggressions. Analyses indicate that primo-victimization was highly correlated to revictimization and that being young increased that risk. Young victims were also at higher risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder. A third of the victims reported the assault. 25% of those were able to file a complaint (n = 12) and/or receive care (n = 13). For the remainder 75%, reporting did not lead to action.DiscussionThose findings indicate a very large proportion of victims of sexual assault among autistic women, consistently with previous research. The World Health Organization states unambiguously that sexual violence is systemic and that vulnerable individuals are preferably targeted by offenders. We therefore postulate that it would be erroneous to consider that victimization of autistic women is mainly due to autism. On the contrary, autism seems to be just a vulnerability factor. Some authors propose that educating potential victims to better protect themselves would help preventing abuse. We reviewed this proposition in the light of our results and found it to be impossible to apply since more than half of the victims were below or at the age of consent. Literature about sexual violence is discussed. Large-scale prevention programs proposed by World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control aim at cultural changes in order to diminish gender inequality, that they identify as the very root of sexual violence.

Predicting College Women's Self-esteem Based on Verbal Coercion Experience and Verbal Tactic Items on the Revised Sexual Experiences Survey.

Verbal coercion experience is common among college women and has sometimes been associated with lower self-esteem. The current study examined self-esteem based on the two verbal coercion items included in the latest version of the most popular measure of sexual victimization experience, the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV; Koss et al., 2007). One item includes verbal tactics categorized as "threat" and the other item includes verbal tactics categorized as "criticism." Undergraduate women (n = 479) completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the SES-SFV. Results showed that women who experienced criticism reported lower self-esteem than those who did not experience criticism. However, threat experience was not significantly related to women's self-esteem. Findings support Koss et al.'s suggestion that criticism tactics are more negative than threat tactics, and imply that self-esteem may be negatively associated with some sexually coercive verbal tactics but not associated with others. Future researchers should pay careful attention to operational definitions of verbal coercion.

Knowing a Rape Victim, Personal Sexual Victimization Experience, and Gender Predicting Rape Victim Empathy

ABSTRACT Empathy with a rape victim was examined based on knowing a rape victim (not oneself), personal sexual victimization experience, and participant gender. Undergraduates (n = 531) at a midsize public university in the Northeast United States completed the Rape-Victim Empathy Scale, the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization, and questions regarding knowing a rape victim. Empathy scores were greater for those who reported knowing a rape victim than for those who did not. Women with personal sexual victimization experience reported greater empathy than men with personal sexual victimization experience and all nonvictims, but no differences emerged among female nonvictims and all men. Findings suggest that knowing a rape victim may provide some degree of vicarious experience with rape that helps individuals better understand a rape victim’s perspective, and factors influencing rape empathy among men and nonvictims needs more attention in future research.

Predicting Body-Esteem Based on Type of Sexual Victimization Experience.

Almost no research exists examining the relationship between body-esteem and sexual victimization experience in adulthood. The current study contributes to the literature by examining body-esteem based on type of sexual victimization experience (i.e., none, sexual contact, attempted sexual coercion, sexual coercion, attempted rape, rape). Participants included undergraduate women (n = 750) who completed the Body-Esteem Scale (Franzoi & Shields, 1984) and the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization (Koss et al., 2007), and had either no history of sexual victimization experience or experience within the past year. Women with no sexual victimization experience did not differ from women with sexual contact experience, but both groups reported higher body-esteem than women with coercion, attempted coercion, and rape experience. These three latter groups did not differ from one another, but each reported lower body-esteem than women with attempted rape experience, who reported higher body-esteem than those with no experience. Findings are preliminary but suggest that body-esteem may be negatively associated with some types of sexual victimization experience (attempted and completed coercion, rape), but not others (sexual contact, attempted rape), and escaping rape may increase positive feelings toward one's body.

Reliability and Validity of Turkish Version of Sexual Coercion in Intimate Relationships Scale.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of the Sexual Coercion in Intimate Relationships Scale in the Turkish population. 353 women aged 18-65 were included in the study. In addition to the 34 questions in the original scale, 8 questions from other scales in the literature were added, which were not included in the scale. Sociodemographic Data Form, World Health Organisation Women's Violence Against Partner Questionnaire, The Severity of Violence Against Women Scale, Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization, and Relationship Stability Scale were also applied to the participants. 3 items were removed due to low factor load values in the analyzes performed with the Varimax rotation method. The values obtained as a result of exploratory factor analysis made over 39 items were 21.718%, 24.424%, and 12.901%, respectively. This explained 53.88% of the total variance. The value of the scale was determined in high-level reliability (Cronbach's alpha:0.96). Subdomains were similar to the original survey. Its correlation with other scales showed a significant and strong relationship. In our study, the necessary analyzes for the quality of the measurement tool were applied and this scale is found psychometrically reliable and valid. This scale can evaluate all partner sexual violence, such as subtle and physical force types and their frequency.

Analysis of a Modification to the Sexual Experiences Survey to Assess Intimate Partner Sexual Violence

ABSTRACT Greater accuracy is needed in the assessment of sexual victimization that occurs in intimate relationships. Existing assessment strategies in the literature often represent two distinct approaches – intimate partner violence specific strategies vs. sexual violence specific strategies. The current study compared multiple distinct strategies for assessing intimate partner sexual victimization (IPSV) and evaluated a modification that optimizes intimate partner and sexual violence specific strategies. Two samples of undergraduate women were recruited. Sample 1 (N = 236) completed the Severity of Violence Against Women Scales (SVAWS) and a modified version Sexual Experiences Survey–Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) in which participants were cued to respond both for romantic partners and non-partners (referred to as the SES-RP/NP). Sample 2 (N = 206) completed the SVAWS and was randomized to either the traditional SES-SFV or the SES-RP/NP. Across samples, the prevalence of IPSV varied based on the measure used (SVAWS = 11.7%; SES-SFV = 17.0%; SES-RP/NP = 25.4%). The SES-RP/NP identified significantly more IPSV than the SES-SFV, SVAWS, and prior studies. Both the SES-SFV and the SES-RP/NP were positively and significantly associated with the SVAWS. The results suggested that optimal measurement of IPSV would consider both intimate partner and sexual violence strategies.

Epidemiology of Campus Sexual Assault Among University Women in Eswatini.

Sexual assault on university campuses has attracted growing attention, but there is little data available on the scope of the problem in Southern Africa. We sought to measure the prevalence of campus sexual assault among female university students at the University of Eswatini and describe the experience of survivors using a mixed-methods study design. Women were randomly sampled from a list of all full-time female university students provided by the office of the registrar, and participants completed a brief behavioral survey in a private study office using a tablet with computer-assisted self-interview software. Women who indicated experiences of sexual violence during the survey were invited to self-identify themselves to study staff to participate in a follow-up qualitative interview. We measured sexual assault using the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Version (SES-SFV). We found that women in University were over 6 times more likely to report forced or coerced sex in the previous 12 months than has been previously reported in the general population. Sixty percent of participants reported experiencing an attempted or completed sexual assault in their lifetime, and a total of 38% reported an assault in the past 12 months. The vast majority (93%) of assailants were known to their victim, and the majority (56%) of perpetrators were romantic partners. The majority of participants had never disclosed their assault, and victim blaming and stigma emerged as highly salient themes during in-depth qualitative interviews. Food insecurity, losing a parent before age 21, and hazardous drinking were all significantly associated with experiencing sexual assault in the previous 12 months, as was experiencing a previous assault before the age of 18. To our knowledge, this is the first generalizable study of campus sexual assault prevalence conducted in the Southern African region.

Discrepant Responding across Measures of College Students’ Sexual Victimization Experiences: Conceptual Replication and Extension

Sexual violence victimization affects approximately 1 in 5 college women and 1 in 6 college men; however, rates of sexual victimization vary widely, in part due to measurement issues. The present study is the first to compare the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) to a measure of sexual victimization designed to capture gender differences, the Post-Refusal Sexual Persistence Scale-Victimization (PRSPS-V). Prior research has compared the perpetration versions of these questionnaires and found large discrepancies. College students (N = 673: 367 women, 298 men, 8 gender minority) were surveyed. The SES-SFV identified 260 cases of sexual victimization whereas the PRSPS-V identified 330 cases; this discrepancy was largest for men. While percent agreement between the two measures ranged from 79.9–92.0%, kappa estimates indicated that agreement was in the weak to moderate range. Kappa estimates tended to be poorer for men than women. These results highlight poor precision in the measurement of sexual violence victimization, even when using well-established measures. The PRSPS-V identified more cases and may be less gender biased. We discuss how differences in questionnaire structure, item structure, and operationalization of consent may account for discordance between the SES-SFV and PRSPS-V even when controlling for item content.

Revisiting the link between childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual aggression.

Childhood maltreatment poses a risk factor for adult sexual aggression among men. Efforts were made to examine links between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and sexual aggression after controlling variance associated with other forms of abuse. This sample was comprised of men (n = 489) who completed a national survey regarding their history of possible abuse and/or sexual aggression. Maltreatment indices included CSA, parental and sibling physical abuse, exposure to domestic violence, peer bullying, and family emotional abuse. Self-report indicators of sexual frotteurism, coercion and rape were provided by the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Perpetration. CSA links with the criterion indicators were relatively stronger (r = 0.36, d = 0.65, p < .001) than those found for non-sexual forms of abuse. CSA accounted for unshared variance in sexual aggression with these effects magnified by the addition of parental physical abuse (d = 2.1) or exposure to domestic violence (d = 2.2). The relative risks of prior acts of rape were elevated by CSA (RR = 4.39, p < .001), parental physical abuse (RR = 3.85, p < 0.001), exposure to domestic violence (RR = 3.81, p < .001), or sibling physical abuse (RR = 2.56, p = 0.007). These risks of completed rape were higher as well among respondents polyvictimized by two (RR = 4.92, p < .001) or more (RR = 8.94, p < 0.001) forms of abuse. Multiple forms of child maltreatment, particularly CSA, were strongly associated with adult sexual aggression in this sample of men from the general population.

The psychometric properties of the Sexual Experiences Survey–Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) and characteristics of sexual victimization experiences in college men.

The psychometric properties of the Sexual Experiences Survey–Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) and characteristics of sexual victimization experiences in college men.

Initial Evidence for the Reliability and Validity of the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Perpetration (SES-SFP) in College Men

ABSTRACTThis study provides psychometric data on the Sexual Experiences Survey—Short Form Perpetration (SES-SFP), a revision of one of the most widely used measures of sexual perpetration, in a sample of college men. Participants (n = 402) completed a web survey containing the study measures; a subset of 66 participants completed the SES-SFP again 2 weeks later. Our results provide initial evidence of internal consistency and convergent evidence of validity for the SES-SFP in college men but question the measure’s test-retest reliability. The severity of tactics used to coerce sexually aggressive behaviors was more strongly associated with rape empathy than sexual outcome severity scores, indicating utility of assessing coercive tactics. Additional research is needed regarding the psychometric properties of the SES-SFP and other measures of sexual perpetration in order to accurately assess rates of these behaviors and inform preventive interventions.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Intimate Partner Violence, and Sexual Assault

Sexual assault and intimate partner violence have never been examined in individuals with hidradenitis suppurativa. The research is important, because prior studies show higher incidences of intimate partner violence and sexual assault in individuals with disabilities, and hidradenitis suppurativa meets criteria for a disability. The objective of the study is to examine whether individuals with hidradenitis suppurativa are at significantly higher risk of intimate partner violence and sexual assault compared with individuals who have acne, a recognised disability. Participants who met criteria for hidradenitis suppurativa and acne were recruited from a mid-sized university and a dermatology clinic. Participants spoke English and were over the age of sexual consent. Group (hidradenitis suppurativa and acne) differences on intimate partner violence and sexual assault were analysed. Victimisation within the past 12 months was measured using the Checklist for Controlling Behaviours, a measure of intimate partner violence, as well as the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victim, a measure of sexual assault. In total, 243 participants (n = 128 for hidradenitis suppurativa; n = 115 for acne) were surveyed. Individuals with hidradenitis suppurativa were significantly more likely to report being victimised by intimate partner violence. Intimate partner violence was more frequently observed in individuals with hidradenitis suppurativa. Health care providers should be aware of this issue when interacting with patients with hidradenitis suppurativa.

Sexual Perpetration History Predicting Men's Empathy with a Rapist

The purpose of this study was to examine empathy with a hypothetical rapist based on type of sexual perpetration experience (i.e., none, nonrape perpetrators, rapists who do not admit to “rape,” and rapists who admit to “rape”). Undergraduate men (n = 385) completed the Rape-Perpetrator Empathy Scale (Smith and Frieze 2003) and the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Perpetration (Koss et al. 2007), which first asks behavior-based questions, without using the word “rape,” to identify rapists and those with other sexual perpetration experience, and then asks if they “may have ever raped someone.” None of the respondents admitted to “rape,” but participants whose survey responses indicated prior behavior consistent with rape (rapists) reported greater empathy than those who indicated no behaviors consistent with any type of sexual perpetration (nonperpetrators). Respondents who indicated prior behavior consistent with sexual perpetration, but not rape (nonrape perpetrators) did not differ from either rapists or nonperpetrators. Committing rape may be associated with greater rape perpetrator empathy due to similarity in experience.