| dc.description.abstract | Fifty one male and female University students were given a
questionnaire inquiring about the occurrence and nature of both
invasive (physical contact) and non invasive sexually stressfully
experiences in their lives. Of this total, 16.5% reported they
had a SSE. Of the fourteen male students responding, 35% indicated
at least one SSE. Of the 37 female students, 92^ stated that they
had at least one SSE. A total of 104 SSE's were reported with an
average of 2.7 per person. There was an almost equal distribution
of invasive and non invasive incidents reported. The most common
SSE ’ s were unconsented touching and threats of sexual assault.
Ninety four percent of the SSE’s involved one attacker who was most
often a date or boyfriend. All the incidents were seen as
stressful by the victims but the stress level decreased over time.
Thirty two percent of the victims felt that the SSE caused a
disruption in their lives, primarily in their feelings of safety
and interpersonal relationships. Most victims reported to a close
friend and family member but only six percent reported it to legal
authorities. The most common reasons for not reporting were that
victims wanted to forget it or thought it was too commonplace to
report. Aggravated sexual assault was perceived as the most
stressful to all subjects. Victims were less stereotypic in their
attitudes toward sexual assault than non victim subjects and were
able to relate better to others SSE victims. Victims also were
willing to give longer sentences to hypothetical offenders than non victims. These findings give strong support for the need for
counseling for SSE victims and the usefulness of victims helping
other victims deal with their SSE. | |
