Sexuality education, sexual communication, rape myth acceptance, and sexual assault experience among Deaf and Hard of Hearing college students

Deaf and Hard of Hearing college students are at an increased risk of sexual assault in comparison to their hearing peers. Previous studies demonstrate that although sexual assault rates among college students are high, among the Deaf community, these rates are nearly double. Data suggest that between 50% and 83% of Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals will experience sexual assault in their lifetime, with Deaf and Hard of Hearing women more likely to experience sexual assault than Deaf and Hard of Hearing men. Only a small amount of published research has been conducted among Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals regarding sexual assault. The high sexual assault rates among Deaf and Hard of Hearing students may be partially attributed to their limited sexuality education and knowledge, most often as a result of communication, language, and cultural barriers. The purpose of this study was to examine a possible relationship between levels of sexuality education, sexual communication, rape myth acceptance, and sexual assault experience among Deaf and Hard of Hearing college students. Hypotheses were examined via linear regression to ascertain significant relationships among the variables. Seven analyses were found to be statistically significant, with sexual communication, gender, and consensual sexual activity predictor variables explaining the outcome variable, sexual assault experience, at high percentages. The findings from this research have provided a greater baseline of data for future studies to investigate the factors influencing sexual assault among Deaf and Hard of Hearing college students.