Unwanted Touching Research Articles

Non-partner Sexual Violence Among International College Students in the United States

The prevalence of non-partner sexual violence among college students is a pressing concern that demands urgent attention. Although an integral part of the education system, international college students are often underrepresented in various studies. This calls attention to understanding the cultural nuances and multiple factors affecting this population. The current research delves into the experiences of sexual abuse among international students within the last 12 months, focusing specifically on incidents where sexual penetration or unwanted sexual touching occurred without consent. The study sheds light on the frequency and demographics associated with these distressing incidents using data from a large-scale survey conducted over the past year, encompassing a sample size of 13,242 international student respondents. Results reveal alarming statistics, with a substantial proportion of international students reporting experiences of non-partner sexual violence. Specifically, 4.8% of participants reported being sexually touched without consent, 1.9% reported attempted sexual penetration without consent, and 1.6% reported actual sexual penetration or being made to penetrate someone without consent. Moreover, the analysis indicates significant associations between experiences of sexual abuse and key demographic variables such as gender, relationship status, and number of sexual partners. Further exploration through univariate regression unveils compelling insights into the intersectionality of sexual violence, highlighting disparities based on biological sex, relationship status, and number of sexual partners among international students. The present study underscores the urgent need for comprehensive prevention and intervention strategies to address the pervasive issue of non-partner sexual violence among international college students. By understanding the dynamics of these incidents and their correlates, institutions can tailor support services, advocacy efforts, and educational initiatives to create safer and more inclusive environments for all international students.

How Children Stop Adult Perpetrators From Unwanted Touching Within an Institutional Setting: Termination Patterns During Sexual Contact Stage.

This qualitative study analyzes victims' narratives of male-on-male child molestation within the Boy Scouts of America. The focus of previous literature on sex crime victims mostly centered on how to avoid sex offenders based on the offenders' behaviors and effective victims' treatment plans to alleviate their posttrauma as a result of sexual abuse. Yet studies have not provided detailed descriptions of when and how to resist sexual advances to children when such incidents are in progress within youth-oriented institutions. Few have examined victim narratives to discover the dynamics of child molestation, such as physical and verbal interactions between the two parties while sexual touching is occurring. The author used victims' narratives to identify how boy victims responded to unwanted sexual advances by scout leaders within the Boy Scouts of America. Based on qualitative-oriented analysis, this study presents verbal and physical resisting patterns of male victims and the effectiveness of such actions in terminating sexual advances. The findings suggest practical and potential intervention strategies so children know how to stop adult perpetrators from developing unwanted touching within youth-centric institutions.

I am the psychiatric patient and the psychiatric patient is me: Retelling a lived experience narrative of professional sexual misconduct.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Professional sexual misconduct is the name given to the phenomenon of healthcare providers crossing sexual boundaries with their patients. It is comprised of a range of behaviors from comments to unwanted touching and even rape. The exact incidence is unknown, but estimates have been made. These abuses are thought to be underreported. The applicable reporting processes are problematic. Trauma-informed care presupposes knowledge of various types of trauma, and this is one type. Traua-informed care places emphasis on healthcare systems and healthcare providers' avoidance of retraumatizing patients who disclose any type of trauma, including sexual violence. WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: This paper adds one narrative experience of a sexual assault perpetrated by the writer's colleague psychiatrist. It can be viewed as a cautionary tale about horizontal violence against nurses. This narrative discusses how one traumatic event can mushroom into chronic traumatic sequelae when disclosure re-traumatizes. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Increased knowledge of this type of sexual violence may help those who have suffered it. As psychiatry is among the healthcare fields who regularly screen patients for trauma, it is imperative that the psychiatric workforce gain familiarity with trauma-informed responses to avoid re-traumatizing patients who disclose sexual violence.

IJCM_356A: Psychiatric evaluation of alleged sexual assault perpetrators in a tertiary care hospital in Southern Odisha: a cross-sectional study

Background: Sexual violence is defined as a range of behaviours, including nonconsensual sexual acts(e.g., rape), attempted non-consensual sexual acts or abusive sexual contact(e.g., unwanted touching),and noncontact sexual abuse(e.g.,threatened sexual violence or verbal sexual harassment). A psychiatric evaluation should not only be important in clinical but also in medicolegal field, for better understanding of psychological characteristics of an offender and making risk assessment of future offending behaviour. Objectives : 1. To study the socio-demographic profile of alleged sexual assault perpetrator presenting to FMT Department of MKCG, MCH Berhampur. 2. To evaluate their psychiatric co-morbidities and find any significant association. Methodology: A cross-sectional study has been conducted in the Department of FMT, MKCG, MCH, Berhampur, Odisha, within a period of 1 year. Using convenience sampling 169 perpetrators of sexual assault were selected. For data collection semi-structured questionnaire and Mini-5 scale was used. Results : Mean age was 45.3 ± 8.2years,78.9 % were unmarried,26.6 % were illiterate. Around 57.8% were unemployed,78.9 % had past history of substance abuse, antisocial personality disorder was seen in 71.05%. Psychotic disorder was seen in 65.7%, alcohol abuse and dependence was seen in 71.05%,substance dependence was seen in 52.6%. Significant association was seen with anti-social personality disorder, Psychotic disorder, alcohol abuse and substance abuse dependence in the perpetrators of sexual assault. Conclusion: From the present study, it was implicated that, mental health co-morbidities are one of the major contributing factors for the criminal behaviour of the perpetrators for sexual assault. Hence all the cases of sexual assaults have to be properly screened out and councelled by the mental health professionals to prevent criminality in the society.

“She Should be Smart Enough To Know, Hey, These Things Can Happen”: Identifying Men’s Perceptions, Attitudes and Beliefs About Sexual Aggression Toward Women in Drinking Venues and The Implications for Prevention

Sexual aggression (SA) by men toward women, including harassment and unwanted sexual touching, is ubiquitous in drinking venues. Focus groups with 38 male volunteers aged 19-26 were used to articulate men’s perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs (PABs) related to SA in drinking venues for future development of a comprehensive questionnaire. Three cross-cutting themes relevant to prevention emerged from discussions structured using a 6-dimensional theoretical model: drinking venues culture with normative acceptance of SA as harmless fun, gender scripts that hold female targets responsible for SA, and alcohol attributions that reduce blame for intoxicated men perpetrators and increase blame for women targets.

Hidden in plain sight for too long: Using text mining techniques to shine a light on workplace sexism and sexual harassment.

Objective: The goal of this study is to understand how people experience sexism and sexual harassment in the workplace by discovering themes in 2,362 experiences posted on the Everyday Sexism Project's website this http URL. Method: This study used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative method was a computational framework to collect and analyze a large number of workplace sexual harassment experiences. The qualitative method was the analysis of the topics generated by a text mining method. Results: Twenty-three topics were coded and then grouped into three overarching themes from the sex discrimination and sexual harassment literature. The Sex Discrimination theme included experiences in which women were treated unfavorably due to their sex, such as being passed over for promotion, denied opportunities, paid less than men, and ignored or talked over in meetings. The Sex Discrimination and Gender harassment theme included stories about sex discrimination and gender harassment, such as sexist hostility behaviors ranging from insults and jokes invoking misogynistic stereotypes to bullying behavior. The last theme, Unwanted Sexual Attention, contained stories describing sexual comments and behaviors used to degrade women. Unwanted touching was the highest weighted topic, indicating how common it was for website users to endure being touched, hugged or kissed, groped, and grabbed. Conclusions: This study illustrates how researchers can use automatic processes to go beyond the limits of traditional research methods and investigate naturally occurring large scale datasets on the internet to achieve a better understanding of everyday workplace sexism experiences.

Uncovering gender-based violence and harassment in public transport: Lessons for spatial and transport justice

When suitably organized, public transport plays an important role in social inclusion and equity by providing crucial access to social, political, and economic opportunities. Notwithstanding, a growing body of evidence points to gender-based harassment and violence associated with public transport journeys as significant barriers to women's travel. This raises important issues regarding spatial and transport justice.Using a survey in Santiago, Chile, this study explores gender-based violence and harassment experienced while accessing, egressing, and using public transport. We use zero-inflated and logistic regression models to explore individual, behavioral and spatial factors associated with gender violence, particularly sexual harassment, defined as unwanted touching, filming or photography, stalking or masturbation, and rape. We examine these factors differentiating by trip segment (access to and egress from the system versus in-vehicle experience) and public transport mode (bus and Metro).Our results show that 17.5% experienced four or more harassment situations. Public masturbation or rape primarily occurred on the journey to and from public transport (8.6%) and on board a bus (7.4%). Our models indicate a spatial component of harassment which intersects with behavioral and individual factors as trip frequency, trip purpose, gender, age, and income, reducing public transit's ability to serve women, particularly those in low-income living in more peripheral areas. This article contributes to knowledge regarding how these factors interact in a major city in the Global South, which has been under-explored to date. Our findings join other studies challenging theories of spatial and transport justice, which to date pay little attention to violence in general and gender-based violence in particular. We make suggestions for reinforcing theory in order to develop stronger solutions to ensure transport systems improve equity rather than locking in current discrimination and exclusions.

Longitudinal associations among experiences of sexual assault, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and heavy drinking in young adults.

Prior research with young adults has demonstrated clear associations between experiences of sexual assault, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and alcohol use, but most studies have been cross-sectional or have not considered multiple theoretical pathways to understand these associations. Using six waves of data from a longitudinal cohort sample of 1,719 young adults, we examined associations among experiences of past-year sexual assault (i.e., rape, unwanted sexual touching, and physical intimidation in a sexual way), PTSD symptoms, and the frequency of binge drinking over time, allowing for the exploration of symptom-induced, interpersonal risk, and substance-induced pathways for male and female participants. For both male, βs = 2.84 to 6.55, and female participants, βs = 2.96 to 10.1, higher prior levels of PTSD symptoms were associated with larger increases in binge drinking over time. For female participants, higher prior levels of sexual assault were associated with larger increases in PTSD symptoms over time, βs = 3.48 to 4.25, whereas for male participants, higher prior levels of past-year binge drinking were associated with decreases in PTSD symptoms over time, βs = -2.75 to -0.53. Continued efforts are needed to prevent sexual assault among young adults and address PTSD symptoms among those who experience sexual assault. Interventions that target binge drinking are also needed for individuals who experience PTSD symptoms, especially young adults, to address potentially hazardous drinking before problems escalate and become chronic.

Sexual misconduct among elementary and middle school‐aged children in partial hospitalization setting

Often discussions of sexual misconduct of minors center on adult‐on‐child incidents; however, the frequency of student‐on‐student sexual misconduct has been on the rise. Sexual misconduct is defined as any conduct which is sexual in nature and is unwelcome and engaged in without consent. Sexual misconduct can include a range of behaviors including sexual harassment and unwanted touching. Recent data indicates that one‐half to three‐quarters of child sexual abuse and assault victimization experiences are committed by other children.

Revisiting the Definition of Bullying in the Context of Higher Education

AbstractThis study used a qualitative method to verify the interpersonal interactions that students consider to constitute bullying in higher education. The data came from 58 semi-structured interviews with students and administrators from two public universities in Ghana and one in Norway to show how national differences influence bullying. The broad range of behaviours identified highlighted themes like “inconveniencing”, “exclusion”, “intimidation”, “shaming”, “booing, gossiping, and teasing”, “sexual harassment and unwanted touching, fondling, and kissing”, and “ignoring or facing hostile reactions”. The study found that behaviours students identified as bullying are subtler and are intertwined with everyday interpersonal encounters, making identifying, reporting, and redressing them elusive. Students identified their limited awareness of anti-bullying structures, insufficient deterrence due to a lack of transparency in rule implementation, and noncommitment by authorities as favouring bullying. The study suggests the use of communication about behaviour expectations and a commitment to creating consciousness against bullying to ensure a positive psychosocial learning environment.

Prevalence Rate and Risk Factors of Sexual Assault Among University Students in the Netherlands.

This research documents the prevalence rate and demographic risk factors for sexual assault among undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at a Dutch university. The present study used a sample of N = 2,887 students who filled in responses to a campus climate survey about students' experiences with sexual assault and diverse demographic variables. Results showed that approximately one in four students (25.3%) experience non-consensual sexual touching, and almost one in ten are raped (9.2%). Next, to examine the effects of demographic factors and their interactions on sexual assault, the dataset was divided randomly into two subsamples. Exploratory multiple regression analyses were conducted on the first subsample and confirmatory multiple regression analyses on the second. Variables that increased odds for unwanted sexual touching, rape, and any type of sexual assault were gender; being a member of a student or a study association; having a disability; and being in a relationship (in this context, "any type of sexual assault" refers to any incident that included unwanted touching, attempted rape, or rape). LGBQ+ sexual orientation was significant for any kind of sexual assault and for rape; and being a member of a sport association was significant for any kind of sexual assault and for sexual touching.

Alcohol, drug use and experiences of sexual violence victimisation among first-year college students in Ireland

ABSTRACT Sexual violence victimisation is common in college and first year presents a significant period of risk due to the navigation of alcohol, drugs and engaging in sexual intimacy. Cross-sectional data were analysed from 1,778 first-year college students, aged between 18 and 25 years. Experience of different forms of sexual violence victimisation and perpetrator tactics used were explored, along with the reported alcohol and drug use habits of victims. Results found that sexual violence through incapacitation was the most frequently reported tactic among all students. Hazardous alcohol consumption was significantly associated with higher rates of experience of all forms of sexual violence since beginning college among female students, and significantly associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing unwanted sexual touching for male students. There were gender differences in the associations between drug types and forms of sexual violence experienced. All drugs assessed predicted an increased risk of experiencing rape among female students, while cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine were associated with an increased risk of rape among male students. Further investigation is required into the context and environments in which different drug types are taken. The findings provide a strong rationale for including alcohol and drug use education as part of future sexual health and consent education programmes for college students. PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENT This study has implications for the promotion of positive sexual health and the reduction of sexual violence victimisation among college students. In order to understand the forces at play regarding sexual consent practices among students it is necessary to recognise the contexts in which these incidents occur. This research informs third-level institutions (i.e. universities, third-level colleges) on the importance of including alcohol and drug use as part of effective sexual consent education programming due to the frequent overlap of substance use and sexual experiences among this particular cohort.

Intervening to Prevent Unwanted Touching of Museum Displays: Incorporating an Observing Response with Three Prompting Conditions

ABSTRACT Museums struggle with visitors touching artworks, sometimes causing extensive damage. No known empirical study counted the frequency of visitors touching art displays, nor tested strategies for preventing this. This field study employed an alternating treatments design to evaluate the behavioral impact of three sign conditions designed to alleviate this problem: 1) a Directive sign that specified the behavior to avoid, 2) a Rationale sign that informed visitors why they should not touch displays, and 3) a Rationale-plus-Graphic sign that added a supporting visual. The signs were double-sided and included an observing response component that directed visitors to move to the back of the sign to observe the message located there, which aimed to increase the probability of visitors reading and complying with the prompt. Systematic behavioral observations indicated that the signs were equivalently effective in decreasing display touching. None of the visitors who emitted the observing response touched the exhibit.

Differences Among Types of Sexual Misconduct Incidents Reported to Title IX Coordinators and Institutional Stability in Incidents Over Time.

Sexual misconduct incidents reported to Title IX coordinators and stability in incident characteristics within institutions of higher education (IHEs) over time were examined. Data included two waves of reported incidents in 2016-2018 (n = 2,598) and 2018-2020 (n = 2,778) across Maryland IHEs (N = 40). Findings showed most reported incidents were for Other Sexual Misconduct (e.g., sexual harassment) versus Sexual Assault I (i.e., rape) or Sexual Assault II (e.g., unwanted sexual touching). Types of sexual misconduct differed regarding reporting by responsible employees, nonstudent perpetrators, and the range of accommodations accessed; institutional-level profiles of sexual misconduct were stable across waves. Implications and future research are discussed.

Reconsidering the Unwanted Sexual Touching of Boys by Adults: An Ethnographic Study in Rural Cambodia.

The unwanted sexual touching of boys by adults is a form of child sexual abuse. However, the genital touching of boys may be culturally "normal," with not all instances necessarily being "unwanted" or "sexual." This study, set in Cambodia, explored the genital touching of boys and the local cultural constructions of it. It entailed ethnography, participant observation, and case studies involving 60 parents, family members, caregivers, and neighbors (18 men, 42 women) in 7 rural provinces and Phnom Penh. Informants' views, along with their use of language, proverbs, sayings, and folklore were recorded. The combination of the emotional driver for touching a boy's genitals and the physical action of doing so is /krɨɨt/ (គ្រឺត or ក្រឺត). The motivation is usually overwhelming affection, and to socialize the boy to cover his nakedness in public. The spectrum of action ranges from light touching to grabbing and pulling. Benign and non-sexual intention is signaled by adding the Khmer predicative /tʰoammeaʔtaa/, or "normal," as an adverb to the attributive verb /leiŋ/, or play. The genital touching of boys by parents and caregivers is not necessarily sexual in nature, though it is possible that abuse can be committed despite the absence of such intention. Cultural insights are not a "defense" or basis for exculpation, with each case evaluated simultaneously through cultural and rights-based lenses. There are anthropological implications in gender studies, and it is essential to have an understanding of the concept of /krɨɨt/ to ensure that interventions to protect the rights of children are culturally responsive.

"Wherever There's Men, it can Happen": Constructions of Violence Against Women by Young Adults in Ireland.

Given the growing concern about perpetration of violence against women (VAW) amongst young adults, this article examines how a sample (n = 27) of Irish young adults (18-24 years) construct the term VAW. Participants drew on personal experiences to describe the term and were cognisant of the gendered perpetration of domestic, psychological, and sexual violence. A group of participants, however, constructed narrow understandings of VAW that did not align with their routinized experiences of unwanted touching and sexual microaggressions. We call for initiatives to enable young adults to name and link together different forms of VAW.

Toward Feeling Fragments: Melancholic Migrants and Other Affect Aliens in the Philippian and Corinthian Assemblies

Abstract Grief and trauma mark both the ancient past and the present, while melancholia reflects the possibilities for holding on in both contexts. In order to vary and multiply our approaches to people and places touched by loss, biblical scholars could get a different feel for the potentials of melancholia as examined in affect, queer, and critical race theories. While Pauline letters often aim to convert grief away from pain and trauma, the pre-Pauline materials within them (specifically, the slogans in 1 Corinthians and the Christ-hymn in Philippians) index a communal melancholia, refusals to “get over it” or relinquish the other and/as lost object(s). Though the other affect aliens in the assembly communities are moving within colonized contexts shaped by layered sediments of insidious trauma, their slogans and hymns assemble contingent and temporary fragments, modes of negotiating difficult conditions, of loss and death, enslavement and exploitation, unwanted touch and ongoing suffering – without forgetting.

What guy wouldn't want it? Male victimization experiences with female‐perpetrated stranger sexual harassment

AbstractThe present research explored female‐perpetrated stranger sexual harassment of young male victims. Across two studies, male participants aged 16–23 reported that they had experienced a range of unwanted sexual attention from unknown female perpetrators, including both in‐person harassment (e.g., seductive behavior and catcalls, unwanted sexual touching) and online harassment (e.g., unsolicited sexual text messages and images, requests for nude self photos). Participants reported that in‐person sexual harassment started as early as 9–12 years of age and online harassment began between 12–14 years of age. Open‐ended descriptions of these early events revealed troubling narratives of non‐consensual sexual touching, forcibly removed clothing, groping, aggression, and being followed, with much of it committed by adult women. Participants recounted being asked, in adolescence, to send nude photos and receiving persistent sexual demands, often from older women. In addition, participants reported uncertainty with gender role expectations, believing that they were supposed to enjoy sexual attention but in reality finding it disturbing and unpleasant. Practical implications, policy recommendations, and future directions are discussed.

Prevalence and Correlates of Military Sexual Trauma in Service Members and Veterans: Results From the 2018 Canadian Armed Forces Members and Veterans Mental Health Follow-up Survey.

Military sexual trauma (MST) is an ongoing problem. We used a 2002 population-based sample, followed up in 2018, to examine: (1) the prevalence of MST and non-MST in male and female currently serving members and veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces, and (2) demographic and military correlates of MST and non-MST. Data came from the 2018 Canadian Armed Forces Members and Veterans Mental Health Follow-up Survey (n = 2,941, ages 33 years + ). Individuals endorsing sexual trauma were stratified into MST and non-MST and compared to individuals with no sexual trauma. The prevalence of lifetime MST was computed, and correlates of sexual trauma were examined using multinomial regression analyses. The overall prevalence of MST was 44.6% in females and 4.8% in males. Estimates were comparable between currently serving members and veterans. In adjusted models in both sexes, MST was more likely among younger individuals (i.e., 33-49 years), and MST and non-MST were more likely in those reporting more non-sexual traumatic events. Among females, MST and non-MST were more likely in those reporting lower household income, non-MST was less likely among Officers, and MST was more likely among those with a deployment history and serving in an air environment. Unwanted sexual touching by a Canadian military member or employee was the most prevalent type and context of MST. A high prevalence of MST was observed in a follow-up sample of Canadian Armed Forces members and veterans. Results may inform further research as well as MST prevention efforts.

Sexual Assault and Behavioral Health: What Can We Learn From a Probability Sample of Young Sexual Minority Men?

Previous research indicates that young sexual minority men (YSMM) are at increased risk of experiencing sexual assault compared to their heterosexual peers. While this increased risk is documented in comparison studies, very little is known about the specific range of sexual assault experiences. The aim of this study was to investigate prevalence of sexual assault experiences and their association with depression and alcohol use for YSMM. In 2017 and 2018, 124 YSMM (18-24year-olds) were recruited to participate in an online study using probability-based sampling methods, in Los Angeles, CA. Participants answered items about lifetime and recent sexual assault experiences (i.e., unwanted touching, oral rape, penetrative rape), characteristics of the coercive behaviors, recent alcohol use, and depression. Analysis of variance (ANOVAs) and multiple linear regressions investigated the relationships between sexual assault experiences and behavioral health. The sample reported a range of lifetime sexual assault experiences: 70% unwanted touching and 28% penetrative rape. Fifty-five percent of the sample reported some type of recent sexual assault, with 17% reporting a recent penetrative rape. ANOVAs of the impact of different forms of sexual assault on behavior health indicated that unwanted touching was associated with higher depression and alcohol use. Further investigation of recent unwanted touching indicated that frequency is associated with depression and binge drinking. Of participants who reported experiences of unwanted touching, 61% reported it occurred while they were intoxicated. Findings support previous evidence of high rates of sexual assault among YSMM. Further, the majority of men who reported sexual assault indicated that it occurred while they were intoxicated, suggesting that unwanted touching is occurring while men are drinking alcohol, likely in bars. The culture of gay bars may encourage nonconsensual touching during intoxication and these experiences of sexual assault have consequences (i.e., higher levels of depression and alcohol use).